How to organize a College Climate Gathering
The History of College Climate Gatherings
In November 2023, over 100 students gathered at Brown University for the first College Climate Gathering (CCG) organized by leaders in Sunrise Brown and a handful of other schools in the Northeastern US. We spent a weekend participating in workshops held by our peers, attending panels on topics like “Confronting Environmental Racism” and “Mobilizing the Ivory Tower,” eating group meals in Sayles Hall, and doing lots of scheming. We learned, struggled, and formed connections with organizers at other schools on the East Coast. It was a powerful and inspiring experience that gave students skills, knowledge, and relationships that hold with us years later.
After the first gathering, CCN organized CCGs at University of California–Berkeley in October 2024 and University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill in February 2025. The CCG brings together students to learn how to run winning campaigns, build relationships across geographies, and join an international movement of students working to sever ties with the fossil fuel industry on campuses. Over the course of a weekend, students take part in trainings, workshops, panels, social activities, direct actions, and more. As the overseer of the past two gatherings, I recently wrote an in-depth guide with help from co-organizers to house the knowledge gained from organizing past CCGs and guide organizers in putting on future gatherings.
CCG West planning team meeting
Why organize a CCG?
Universities have historically been places of radical ideas, innovation, and even revolution. But they have been taken over and co-opted by the most destructive industries on Earth. At Campus Climate Network, we’re building a coalition of student-led climate justice groups fighting to cut ties with the fossil fuel industry and its enablers on campus. When we organize on our campuses and win against the fossil fuel industry, we can change the balance of power at our institutions and give our communities agency to build the world we deserve.
The CCG is one of the best ways to scale our movement. We know that building student power to run a winning campaign isn’t easy. That’s why CCN houses years of knowledge and resources that past student organizers have learned along the way. Trainings are one of the best ways to disseminate this knowledge, give organizers the tools and skills they need to win, and develop new leaders at every level. We also know that we need coordination across geographies to leverage our power as students to the max. The CCG accomplishes all of these things, providing a space for new and seasoned organizers to come together and build relationships, get trained, and join CCN as members to stay connected after.
CCG South organizers and trainers
How to use the report
The 58-page long report has 3 sections: a step-by-step how-to on organizing a CCG, with tips, insights, and suggested timelines from past CCG organizers; case studies of past CCGs; and a resource bank. This report is a very direct, how-to guide on our process for organizing a CCG. We tell you exactly how we think it should be done based on what we have learned from the past three CCGs. If you are interested in organizing a CCG at your school, contact us at info@campusclimatenetwork.org as we’ll send you a copy of the report to read.