Become an environmental documentary filmmaker, change maker, and raise your voice on climate change with this one-day CIFAL York short and hands-on course on environmental communication.
October 4, 2025 (in person at York University-register)
November 1, 2025 (online - register)
Course Description
In 2010, the Communications Department of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) recognized the need for youth to have a direct say in their own future. Together with Dr. Mark Terry, they created the Youth Climate Report (YCR), an annual video report led by youth aged 18-35 presented annually at the COOP conferences.
This in-person or virtual training includes instruction on Environmental Communication, Citizen Science, Citizen Journalism, and specific production techniques for producing documentary short film reports on environmental challenges, with a particular focus on climate change, for the United Nations Climate Change. This course enables youth worldwide to gain filmmaking and digital media production skills to participate in this program.
All films made by the participants in this course will be submitted to the UNFCCC’s Youth Climate Report for review. Those approved will be added to the program’s database and shared with delegates attending the UN climate summit COP30 in Brazil in November, 2025 or COP31.
A microcredit certificate will be issued to all participants from UNITAR/CIFAL York.
Course Outline
Objectives
- To provide the global youth and young people with communication tools to report on environmental and climate change research, impacts, and solutions to the United Nations environmental policymakers.
- To enable youth and young people to directly contribute to the policy process, and empower them to inform and influence UN policymakers, and control their futures.
Key Features
- Focused Curriculum: Covering fundamentals of environmental communications and practical tools and skills to effectively achieve it.
- Hands-On Documentary Video Making: Participants will develop their environmental documentary prototype.
- Immediate Impacts: The resulting video productions (3 to 5 minutes each) are to be delivered to the UNFCCC’s Youth Climate Report within 30 days of the course.
Target Participants
- Youth
- Educators and those in related fields.
- School administrators
- Researchers in fields related to education and/or environmental communication
Note: you do not need to have a background in filmmaking to take and complete this course.
Instructor: Dr. Mark Terry
Mark Terry, certified in climate integration for educational programs by UNITAR, UNCC, and UNICEF, has been providing visible evidence of climate research to the United Nations since 2009. He is also an adjunct Professor in the Department of Communications and Media Studies at York University and in the Department of English and Film at Wilfrid Laurier University.
Dr. Terry is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and the Explorers Club. He is also the Executive Director of the UNFCCC’s Youth Climate Report, a digital database of documentary film reports made by the global community of youth. Last year, this project was recognized by the National Communication Association in Washington with its J. Robert Cox Award for Environmental Communication and Civic Engagement.
Outside of academia, Dr. Terry is the Director of the Social and Sustainability Program for the City of Vaughan in Canada working with businesses to create corporate mandates that adhere to all 17 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. With a focus on environmental themes, Dr. Terry is also an award-winning documentary filmmaker specializing in the polar regions: The Changing Face of Iceland (2023), The Polar Explorer (2011), The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning (2009).
He has authored three books detailing his research in sustainability and environmental communications: The Geo-Doc: Geomedia, Documentary Film, and Social Change (2020); The Emerging Role of Geomedia in the Environmental Humanities (2022); and Speaking Youth to Power: Influencing Climate Policy at the United Nations (2023).
He looks forward to joining the CIFAL York teaching team with his certificate course on Environmental Communications.
Course Plan
Morning Session: 9:30 am to 12:00
Lecture 1: Introduction to Environmental Communications (9:30 to 10:30)
Lecture 2: Geomedia and Digital Media as Communication Tools (10:30 to 11:30)
Q&A: 11:30 to 12:00
Afternoon Session: 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Workshop 1: Building a Geo-Doc Platform (1:00 pm to 2:30 pm)
Workshop 2: Producing an Ecocinematic Documentary Film (2:30 to 4:00 pm)
Deadline 1: Two Weeks following the in-class course day
Deadline 2: One month following the in-class course day.
Attendance and Project completion are required to earn the certificate.
Registration
Registration deadline for October 4 offering: September 30, 2025
Registration deadline for November 1 offering: October 30, 2025
Minimum enrollment to run the course: 20
Registration Fee
Full-time York University students: 50$.
Full-time students: 75$.
Non Students: 100 $
To register for the October 4 offering (in person), you can visit the registration page here.
To register for the November 1 offering (online), visit the registration page here.
Course Coordinator
Mx. Francesco del Carpio, CIFAL York - fdcarpio@yorku.ca