My 14 year old son thinks about the environment in such a different way than I do, that you’d wonder if we are the same species. “Hey mom, I have this assignment for drama class, can you help me write one of those hippy earth-mother kind of speeches?”   I roll out a few lines – of the exact kind that rolled off my tongue – without irony- years ago.  He howls with laughter – it is the funniest thing he has ever heard.

Now it’s not that he doesn’t care, or isn’t his own kind of environmentalist.  In fact he has told me how proud he is to have both a mum and a dad who are dedicated to these issues.    And he is mindful about his own impact and wants to do his part.

But as I continue with my old school hippy-eco-speak and see him seized with hysterical laughter, I realize that this next generation will bring a whole new kind of leadership and perspective into being.

I think we are in the midst of an enormous societal U-turn on how we think about citizenship on this planet.  We are just  into the curve of the U– at warp speed – and it is the younger generations in our midst that are going to have to successfully navigate our way out of this hairpin turn and lay the new direction forward.  And thankfully, it is clear to me, that they think about these issues in wholly different ways than we do.

At Hollyhock Leadership Institute, we are dedicated to building environmental leadership for our time.  What skills do we need, both personal and professional, to navigate these waters?  What knowledge do we need?  Where do we find the inspiration and vision to fuel the change we need to create?

At the Canadian Environmental Leadership Program (CELP) this fall, we will offer a 7-day course in answer to these questions.  This unique program is offered to people currently working on environmental and sustainability issues across Canada.  The curriculum will deal with issues of leadership, effective advocacy, media, and personal sustainability.   If you or someone you know should attend, more information and an application form are available Here!