About Us
In collaboration with Poudre School District, and several northern Colorado universities, the Climate Leadership Summit is an event organized by a small group of high school students for other students. They represent different high schools in Poudre School District and hope to reach schools all over Colorado.
The Climate Leadership Summit is a well-established event designed by high school students, for other middle and high school students. The purpose of this event is to build climate literacy, environmental career awareness, and collaborative leadership between various middle and high school students. The event offers opportunities, both in school and out of school, for youth to collaborate and learn about climate and environmental issues. Since leadership roles are not always accessible for many, the Climate Leadership Summit aims to provide that opportunity to all attendees. Since its founding at Fossil Ridge High School in 2017, the past seven years have brought over 1,700 students from across northern Colorado, and beyond, to attend the Climate Leadership Summit. As the event returned to Fossil Ridge High School for the 2024 summit, we sought to expand access to our event by serving students across Poudre School DIstrict and beyond. Next year, we hope to continue this goal.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Is this free?
Yes, the Climate Leadership Summit is free!
What's the deal with parking?
We will have visual parking information on our Parking page in the form of maps. We will provide more parking details and updates to attendees a week before the event.
Who are the presenters?
We have collaborated with many universities and educators across northern Colorado, including Fort Collins Utilities, Colorado State University, University of Northern Colorado, and University of Colorado Boulder in the past. Many of the presenters and workshops for this event have been from each of those college's faculties, which represents a terrific opportunity for high school students to interact with climate experts who normally may not be accessible to a middle and high school aged population. We hope this is the case next year. On the lower half of the Schedule page on our website, we'll continually update the growing list of confirmed presenters. We'll also share updates on our programming and workshops.
Who usually attends? Who's the target audience?
Next year, we're hoping for an estimated 200 - 300 attendees! In the past, we've had students representing middle and high schools from all over Colorado. From the northern front range to Denver, we will be welcoming any middle and high school students in Colorado who would be interested in joining us. We would also ask them to invite other students who may be interested! If you are a student who is in their school's environmental club, taking environmental classes, or are interested in climate, leadership, and listening to experts in their field, this event will be for you. Register here once registration opens!
Our Story
This event was originally started in 2017 by the F.R.E.S.H. Club, an environmental society, at Fossil Ridge High School by an exceptionally motivated group of students. They sought to design an educational, interactive, and impactful experience geared toward middle and high school-aged students in northern Colorado. The Climate Leadership Summit previously expanded to a collaboration that included high school student coordinators from across Poudre School District, as well as the incredible support of CSU's School of Global Environmental Sustainability and Student Sustainability Clubs. Last year, the event transferred, once again, into the hands of Fossil Ridge High School, and other environmental clubs in Poudre School District. We hope to provide a wonderful experience next year, as we continue to collaborate with community partners!