Brock University and the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding in November of 2020. This exciting three-year partnership was between Brock’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC) and the Department of Environment and Climate Change within the GNWT. This collaboration lead to the co-creating of two professional and continuing studies courses for GWNT staff where traditional knowledge is centred, and there is a clear focus on the people of the North and their important voices.
Key Partnership Goals
Each organization contributed valuable skills to ensure the co-creation of course content that is now available to GNWT staff with electives courses being offered in Fall 2024 and Winter 2025. The main goals of the partnership between the ESRC and the GNWT included co-creating the following:
- A social science toolkit grounded in providing additional ways of knowing to assist employees and local leaders in sustainable community building
- Co-creating accessible elective courses that are a part of the Leadership in Environmental Sustainability professional development certificate, which aims to empower the next generation of environmental sustainability leaders
Meet the GNWT Team
Vincent Casey
Outreach and Education Coordinator, On the Land Unit, Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Meet the Brock Team
Ryan’s multi-faceted program of research broadly concerns the governance of social-ecological systems. In striving to advance knowledge of collaboration and adaptation within complex systems, he has focused on exploring the theoretical underpinnings and ethical implications, modelling their processes, examining the roles of social capital, and investigating the influences of social learning. Water resources are the context in which his research mainly occurs.
Findings from his research have been published in leading international journals such as Ecological Economics, Ecology and Society, Environmental Management, Frontiers in Ecology and Society, Global Environmental Change, Journal of Environmental Management, Society and Natural Resources and the UN journal, Natural Resources Forum. In addition, he is the author of Outdoor Recreation (Routledge, 2010), and co-editor of Adaptive Capacity and the Making of Environmental Governance (with D. Armitage, Springer, 2010) and Resilience in Social-Ecological Systems: the Role of Learning and Education (with M.E. Krasny and C. Lundholm, Routledge, 2011). He serves as a Subject Editor for Ecology and Society.
The scholarly quality of his research program was formally recognized in 2008 with the awarding of a Chancellor’s Chair for Research Excellence. In 2004 he received the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences Award for Teaching Excellence and in 2008 he was selected as one of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Excellence in Education Award winners for Promotion of Sustainable Practices.
Amanda Smits holds a BA from Wilfrid Laurier University in Political Science with a specialization in business administration. She also holds a Master of Education from Brock University focused on administration and leadership. As the Centre Administrator for the ESRC, Amanda acts as project manager on multiple innovative community partnerships and is focused on translating ESRC research findings to the general public, through the use of knowledge mobilization techniques. In 2019, Amanda completed the Certificate in Knowledge Mobilization from the University of Guelph.
Samantha holds a BA in Environmental Studies from Laurentian University, and completed her Master of Sustainability at Brock University in 2020. Her interests surround monitoring and evaluation (M&E) strategies in environmental planning and management. In her thesis research, she investigated stakeholder perceptions of key performance indicators for M&E and environmental management. This research involved a systematic review of literature encompassing M&E associated with collaborative and adaptive environmental management. The insights gained from this scholarship were applied and assessed within a local environmental stewardship initiative in Summer 2019.
Course Offerings
The Leadership in Environmental Sustainability Certificate is a certificate course offered by the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC) at Brock as a part of its professional and continuing education offerings. Sustainability is an established imperative in businesses, government agencies, and other organizations. Now, more than ever, society needs individuals who have the capacity to navigate the contemporary circumstances of rapid change, uncertainty and conflicts. The Leadership in Environmental Sustainability Certificate is designed to equip individuals with knowledge about environmental sustainability and advanced skills required to become future change agents. Each course explores the linkages of major sustainability-based concepts and their relation to the environment. To support the needs of both current and aspiring leaders, this program can be tailored to ensure that you gain the skills and knowledge necessary to meet your professional development goals.
Program Requirements
The Environmental Sustainability Leadership certificate consists of required and elective courses. Participants are required to complete a total of 4 courses to receive the certificate. This includes 2 intensive required courses as well as 2 electives courses. Each course is made up of a series of linked modules related to the course topic. This program is offered in English and can be completed in 1 year or less. Successful participants will receive a certificate upon completion from the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC) to signify their proficiency in environmental sustainability leadership. Brock and GNWT have co-created two elective courses for GNWT employees:
- Ways to Engage (offered Fall 2024, see below)
- Introduction to Northern Climate Resilience (offered Winter 2025, see below)
Aim of the Course:
This course focuses on working together for the environment and how to frame the uncertainty that accompanies collaborative engagement, whether that be through research, projects and initiatives. It equips learners with the knowledge and skills necessary for meaningful community engagement, productive partnerships, and effectively mobilizing knowledge with a focus on concrete skills in areas. Context and experiences in the Northwest Territories, including Indigenous perspectives and Traditional Knowledge, are incorporated throughout the course. Collaborating with a myriad of audiences will advance shared community sustainability goals.
The course considers community engagement through a Northern lens, specifically drawing upon multiple perspectives, knowledge systems, and experiences. You may be working with communities in your current role, maybe you engage with local communities on water stewardship projects, or maybe you’re a part of team that formally engages with other governments and/or organizations. Regardless of the ways you engage, this course will help equip yourself with credible and practical information.
Note: No prerequisites are required to take this course. The course can be utilized as an elective towards gaining a Leadership in Environmental Sustainability Certificate.
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
- Comprehend emerging issues and approaches in engaging people for environmental sustainability.
- Develop a comprehensive set of practical skills and tools to engage in innovative ways.
- Communicate the value of collaborations for achieving shared goals.
- Effectively mobilize knowledge to communicate information and engage communities.
- Understand and appreciate the different ways engagement occurs within the Government of the Northwest Territories through and reflect on how you may utilize engagement strategies within your own work.
This is an online course offering that allows learners the opportunity to connect with the instructor and their peers on one separate occasion (see date below). Not to worry if you are unable to join the synchronous online meet up listed below as it will be recorded and shared with all learners.
This online course will run from Monday, October 21 to Friday, November 29, 2024 with the opportunity to connect with your course facilitator on at least two different dates/times online (TBD)
NOTE: Registration will open in early August 2024.
Aim of the Course:
Climate change is intensely impacting the earth, with profound implications now and in the future. In this course, learners will participate in interactive discussions and content about climate change, from the local to global levels. It will explore both the science and personal actions we can take to tackle climate change. The course will also empower learners with tools and resources to understand the foundations of climate change, its impact on our societies, and how to navigate a changing climate. Throughout the course, examples are provided to help equip learners with credible and practical information on how to act on climate change within their workplace roles. No prerequisites are required to take this course.
Note: No prerequisites are required to take this course. The course can be utilized as an elective towards gaining a Leadership in Environmental Sustainability Certificate.
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
- Describe the fundamentals of climate change science
- Explain observed and projected trends in the climate
- Identify the implications (impacts) of climate change in the local and global context
- Understand vulnerability in the context of climate change
- Identify mitigation actions as well as how to adapt to the negative impacts of climate change
- Demonstrate how resilience to climate change can be fostered through action
This is an online course offering that allows learners the opportunity to connect with the instructor and their peers on one separate occasion (see date below). Not to worry if you are unable to join the synchronous online meet up listed below as it will be recorded and shared with all learners.
This online course will run from Monday, January 20 to Friday, February 28, 2025 with the opportunity to connect with your course facilitator on at least two different dates/times online (TBD)
NOTE: Registration will open in early August 2024.
In the News
December 14, 2023: Brock-GNWT Partnership Year-in-Review 2023
December 16, 2022: Brock-GNWT Partnership Year-in-Review 2022
December 17, 2021: Brock-GNWT Year-in-Review 2021
December 16, 2021: Brock partners with Government of Northwest Territories to co-create environmental courses
December 15, 2021: Brock partners with Government of Northwest Territories to co-create environmental courses
