Seventeen high school students from all over the country came together this past week on Martha’s Vineyard to learn and connect through a shared passion for climate action.

The program was hosted by Bluedot Institute, a platform that elevates youth voices and ideas around climate solutions to empower the next generation of climate leaders.

The curriculum was created last summer by Sarah Ream, vice president of Bluedot Institute, in collaboration with MIT. Ms. Ream utilized MIT’s five-day leadership framework, emphasizing topics such as negotiation and communication, and tailored it to high school students.

Barbi Baganda shares her findings.

Ray Ewing

Barbi Baganda shares her findings.

Ray Ewing

“I work with teenagers and help them to connect with each other and build the skills to confidently play the role of leaders in their schools,” Ms. Ream said on Saturday, during the final presentations by the students.

During their time on the Island, the students visited the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group, Island Grown Initiative, Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary and Vineyard Wind. They also met with local environmental journalists, filmmakers and professors, including David Abel and Ollie Becker.

Victoria Riskin, founder of Blue Dot Living Magazine and co-founder of Bluedot Institute, said the Island is fertile ground for this type of programming.

“There’s so much good work going on the Island as it’s a place that really cares about sustainability.... and the students were exposed to really high level speakers,” she said.

The students were also able to develop their own climate change solutions and presented their findings on topics ranging from sustainable consumerism to environmental public policy, as well as site specific issues such as ocean warming on the coast of California.

“They lived together for a week doing deep experiential work on what leadership is and on various topics relating to the environment and climate change and they really come out supercharged and galvanized to have impact in their communities,” Ms. Riskin said.

Graciela Montgomery, executive director of Bluedot Institute, said the program is special for the different voices it brings into the space, brought together by a shared commitment to climate action.

“They come from all over the country from different ways of life and leave as close friends,” she said. “It is so powerful that in a short amount of time you can reach across the aisle to someone that you think is so different than you, but you find this common ground.”

Ms. Montgomery added that the sense of community created is exactly what the program is all about.

“One of my greatest takeaways is how students go through the process and at some point, the light bulb comes on,” she said. “The collegial camaraderies and dynamics that occur so very naturally, I think that’s what this program does.”