Metchosin-Lehrer was the only Canadian selected for the climate challenge at COP28

Pearson College UWC faculty member Lucas Olscamp is one of four finalists for the Burjeel Holdings Oxford Saïd Climate Change Challenge 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The challenge takes place during COP28, a United Nations climate change conference, and provides the Metchosin teacher a platform to showcase his innovative coursework as an integral part of the school’s Climate Action Leadership Diploma (CALD) program.

“It has always been my dream to take part in COP28 and it is even more painful to be a finalist,” Olscamp, the only Canadian selected as a finalist in the competition, said in a statement. “I am so grateful for the opportunity to be part of this incredible initiative and so grateful for the chance to share my teachings with the global climate change education community.”

The Summer Challenge asked students to submit and articulate their visionary concepts, explain the rationale behind their ideas, and demonstrate the potential real-world impact.

At the same time, teachers were invited to present their initiatives in the classroom to raise students’ awareness of the challenges of climate change and encourage creative thinking to address them. Both groups of finalists will present their results at an awards ceremony at COP28.

Leading up to and following the challenge, Olscamp leads NEST (Narrative, Ecology, Selfhood, and Thinking), a course designed to help students understand who they are, who they want to become, self-expression, and important skills develop to evolve, people and the world. His talk will present four lesson plans from Pearson’s CALD program that address the complexities of extreme weather and climate change from different perspectives.

The winners will take part in a climate protection program at Oxford Saïd Business School next spring. Selected from one of more than 600 entries judged by 21 judges, Olscamp proved to be one of the largest competitions to combat climate change.