Pearson UWC instructor wins prestigious climate challenge from Oxford University’s Said School

Lucas Olscamp, an instructor at Pearson College UWC, is one of three winners of the prestigious 2023 Burjeel Holdings Oxford Saïd Climate Change Challenge.

Olscamp, the lone Canadian to win, was in Dubai this past week to celebrate his accomplishment at COP28 along with students, educators, and environmental and business leaders.

‍ New program at Pearson

Olscamp’s submission presentation to the University of Oxford’s Saïd School included four lesson plans derived from his work in Pearson's ground-breaking Climate Action Leadership Diploma (CALD) program. CALD is a new and innovative program that offers diverse perspectives on the intricacies of extreme weather and climate change that takes advantage of Pearson’s location on the Salish Sea on the unceded territories of the Sc’ianew First Nation, also known as Beecher Bay.

The program offers interdisciplinary learning in economics, science, technology, language, ethics, and communications and aligns with the International Baccalaureate (IB) Career-Related Program (CP). It’s this interdisciplinary lens that Olscamp feels gave him an advantage.

Olscamp’s entry was one of more 600 to one of the largest global competitions dedicated to confronting climate change.

Andrew Walker, his colleague and media manager at Pearson spoke proudly of his colleague’s win. “I've known Luke since I started last summer. He's an amazing educator and we're really lucky to have him here.”

Pearson College UWC launched CALD as a new curriculum option for the 2022-23 academic year​ “for students with a passion for tackling the most pressing issue facing humanity: climate change.” The two-year diploma program for 16-19-year-olds is among the first of its kind for youth wishing to specialize in climate leadership.

When asked about the atmosphere of the event in Dubai, Olscamp said “The climate change challenge that I was a part of was its own kind of experience separate from COP28, but the award ceremony was in partnership with COP.”

With a background in theatre and environmental education, Olscamp considers himself a hybrid educator. “For me, coming from the arts and storytelling, I often think of myself as an outsider because when you consider climate action, I think people just immediately go to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths), and that understanding of approaching science and mathematics, statistics around climate action.”

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Climate Challenge winners. Photo: University of Oxford Saïd School

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Stiff competition with an inspiring effort

Olscamp says he “really enjoyed sharing his Canadian perspective and speaking particularly about Vancouver Island ecology and the environment.” He was also deeply inspired by the students and educators he met.

“The teams from Syria made it there just in time to present. It was their first time ever leaving the country and they were coming to present on AI-integrated technology and app development coming from a country and a place where they only get an hour a day sometimes, of electricity,” he said. “I was just inspired by the work that other people are doing.”

In recognition of his accomplishment, Olscamp, along with the two other finalists, Upadhyay from Udaychal High School in India, and Michael Jones from Northfleet Technology College in the UK, will take part this spring in an exclusive Climate Change Program hosted by Oxford’s Saïd Business School.