Institute for Social Justice
Resilience in a changing climate
This Living Lab 2024-26 explores 'Climate Resilience' through live briefs on 4 scales: Campus, City, Region, and Global.
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Climate resilience asks how we can prepare for, respond to, and recover from climatic events.
Climate resilience relies upon many factors and actors including education, activism, ecologists and policymakers. Voices from across our communities and sectors have a role to play.
It's painful to accept that we are living in a changed climate. We’re no longer in the ‘safe zone’.
Yet in accepting this, there is a call to action for everyone. This may be a spark for building fairer and more flourishing societies. Can we design ways of coping with the impacts of climate change, that also address other injustices? These are challenges that, in one way or another, will be part of most people’s careers and lives.
How we are approaching climate resilience
This Living Lab is exploring 'Climate Resilience' through live briefs on 4 scales: Campus, City, Region, and Global.
The Living Lab developed these 4 briefs in consultation with academics across the York St John community. In doing so, each brief builds on existing research threads at the University. This is important, as it gives your work a home and a network of committed, active individuals who can support your interests and goals.
Download your student handbook to shape climate resilience through the YSJ Living Lab. Including 'Live Briefs' and resources.
Watch a short film sharing highlights of the first year of the University's current Living Lab: Resilience in a Changing Climate and what we have planned next.
Resilience in a Changing Climate Short Film
Upcoming dates for your diary
Freshers Fair: Wednesday 24 September 2025
Visit our friendly team at Freshers Fair. Look for us outside the SU at our Community Garden Patch.
YSJ People's Assembly: Tuesday 21 October 2025
Save the date for your YSJ People's Assembly. A people's assembly (PA) is a group gathered to discuss issues and collectively make decisions. We will explore student activism on campus, including guest speakers. Further details coming soon.
If you would like to be part of making the PA happen, including learning facilitation skills or writing a blog, please get in touch. It is a great opportunity to practice key skills in a supportive space. Read more about previous PAs on our blog.
Friendly Living Fund (FLF) launch: Tuesday 4 November 2025
Last year, a student team led the first-ever microgrant scheme open to YSJ students, designed to address cost-of-living challenges and climate resilience. The first funded projects are now underway, and the FLF will reopen for 2025!
Have an idea? Come along to ask questions, hear advice on applying, or just for a bit of free grub.
How modules are getting involved
- Interior Design students are using their skills to support the realisation of a shared, flexible Student Activist Space on campus. Watch this space!
- Marketing students are bringing the Friendly Living Fund and Wild Wednesday Gardening group to a wider YSJ audience.
- Fine Art students will take on the creation of a meaningful Living Lab Community Quilt.
Get in touch
There are lots of ways to get involved. You can get involved through modules, as an informal group member, or to start your own project with our support. We welcome new ideas and individual interests. We also support sharing research or projects beyond the scope of papers. Creative, innovative ways of engaging audiences are very much encouraged.
Check out the Living Lab blog or Instagram for updates on our projects.
For further information or to come along to our friendly fortnightly Working Group, email c.heinemeyer@yorksj.ac.uk or v.pugh@yorksj.ac.uk.
Highlights of this Living Lab so far
- Student People's Assembly on Climate Resilience, 15 October 2024. A People's Assembly (PA) is a group gathered to discuss issues and collectively make decisions. With lightning talks from diverse voices, break-out groups and facilitated discussions, PAs end in a vote for next actions. At this Assembly we decided who will run the Friendly Living Fund, and how.
- Repair Fair, 22 November 2024. This vibrant event brought the energy and passion of York St John students, staff, and local groups from the community together for a wonderful, sustainability-focused upcycling event – our first Repair Fair. With a repair table, an upcycling table and a 'craftivist' table, the event also launched the Living Lab Community Quilt project.
- Midwinter Potluck, 28 January 2025. With inspiring keynote speaker Holly McGratten of Cooperation Hull, we celebrated work on climate resilience by students across different departments, launched the Friendly Living Fund, and held a mini-Repair Fair.
- Student conference presentations, March 2025. Living Lab students presented their work at the Student Sustainability Research Conference at the University of Leeds, and at Doing Change, York St John's own celebration of students' work towards social justice.
- Events for International Women's Day, March 2025. We explored issues of gender and climate justice in the Global South and worldwide, through events held in collaboration with the Amos Trust and with the international 'Patchwork for Peace' art project.
- Writing Resilience Anthology (PDF, 10.6 MB). Students from across the University have submitted their work for an upcoming exploration of climate resilience curated by Living Lab intern Ellie Steel. Read the ISJ blog post for insight into the making of the anthology.
- Community gardening has continued all throughout this year, with 'Wild Wednesdays' held every Wednesday 12.00pm to 2.00pm at the raised beds outside the Students' Union with the support of the Grounds team.
- Exciting developments have been explored: the possibility of a presence for the Living Lab on our London campus, and new spaces for student leadership on climate resilience on the York campus.
