Climate Career Lab
Your purpose is the path forward.
The Climate Career Lab is a 2-year fellowship starting in the summer of 2026 for Northern Berkshire high school students interested in climate, sustainability, leadership, and making a difference close to home.
Real-world experiences, local leaders, field trips, and community projects designed to help you find your true north in purpose and careers. We’re building a movement where young people lead the way toward a more just, resilient, and sustainable future.
Applications for the founding cohort are now open. Apply below ↓
The Timeline & Experience
The Climate Career Lab begins with our Summer Foundations Week (August 4–8, 2026) followed by once a month “Saturday Academies” throughout the school year. While we are finalizing the details, students can generally expect program days to run from 9am-3pm.
We intentionally designed this schedule to fit alongside students’ academic and extracurricular commitments. To ensure equitable access, student and family stipends are provided to help relieve potential barriers such as transportation, childcare, and other costs, so that participants can fully engage in the fellowship experience.
What our student fellows will receive:
Real-world experiences
Leadership development
Career exploration & mentorship
A peer student cohort and support network
Support navigating what comes after high school
Financial support for participation, including student stipends of $3,500 and family stipends up to $500
The Community
Who can apply:
Applications are now open for Northern Berkshire high school students entering grades 9–11 in Fall 2026 who want to explore climate, community, leadership, and what comes next.
The Climate Career Lab prioritizes students from environmentally burdened communities, including low-income households and Environmental Justice (EJ) neighborhoods. We are committed to expanding opportunities for young people most impacted by climate and environmental challenges, and especially encourage students from these communities to apply.
No experience needed, just curiosity and commitment.
Program Pillars
Young people are increasingly experiencing climate anxiety and uncertainty about their future. Our work helps them channel those feelings into climate action, leadership, and community impact.
The Climate Career Lab is grounded in three core pillars: youth leadership, community resilience, and workforce development.
Youth Leadership
Students learn that their lived experiences are sources of authenticity and insight. We help young people build confidence and amplify their voices so that they can create meaningful change in their communities.
Community Resilience
Students learn how to connect textbook definitions of climate change to the realities facing their own communities. They explore local climate justice issues and meet leaders across policy, skilled trades, infrastructure, and community development who are actively building climate resilience in the Berkshires.
Workforce Development
Students gain exposure to opportunities within the local climate economy through employer engagement, work-based learning experiences, mentorship, and career-connected education. The program helps students see that there are many pathways into climate resilience work and that we all have a place within it.
Apply Here
Application Process and Timeline
1. Interest Form - CLOSED
Complete the short Student Interest Form to tell us a little about yourself.
Optional: Teacher, counselor, parent/guardian, or community nominations are welcome, but not required.
2. Full application - DEADLINE EXTENSION: June 25th
Selected students will be invited to complete a full application.
3. Finalist Interviews - end of June
Finalists will be invited to a short conversation with our team.
4. Decision Release - mid July
Selected students will be notified and invited to join the cohort in July 2026.
5. Program Launch
The Climate Career Lab begins August 4–8, 2026, followed by monthly Saturday Academies throughout the school year.
Student Interest Form
For Ethos Pathways’ Climate Career Lab, 2026 summer program.
The Student Interest Form is now closed.
If you received an email invitation to complete the full application, the deadline has been extended to June 25, 2026.
We strongly recommend submitting as soon as possible. Finalist interview spots are limited, and applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so earlier submissions have a stronger chance of advancing.
We will begin sending interview time slots to finalists soon.