Scaling Transformative Change - an online course
An inspiring learning journey to explore cutting-edge research and practices on how to scale solutions to the global polycrisis in a manner that is ethical, equitable, and effective.
This 6-week course invites you to think differently about your role in scaling solutions to issues like climate change, biodiversity loss, and global inequality.
Building on both research and practice, each two-hour session will focus on a theme and activity related to scaling transformative change. Through interactive sessions, we’ll explore how we can individually and collectively contribute to quantum social change.
The course aims to be a fun and engaging way to develop collective agency and community. Bringing together decades of research and reflections on scaling each session will include a lecture, an activity, group discussions and optional readings to support learning.
Building on research, each two-hour session will focus on a theme that helps participants to see how we can individually and collectively repattern the world.
This 6-week course will change the way that you think about scaling sustainability solutions.
How can we scale transformative change for a just and sustainable world?
The scale of today’s problems can feel overwhelming. It’s not surprising that many of us feel that most actions and initiatives are too small to make a difference.
It’s time to take a different approach to scaling. This is especially important when environmental and social policies and practices for an equitable and thriving world are facing strategic push-back and resistance.
Going beyond “local/global” and “top-down/bottom-up” dichotomies, we will work with frameworks, tools, and practices that approach scaling not as an abstract, mechanistic goal, but as a process and a practice that involves everyone.
We will look at how and why small changes can make a big difference.
About the course
Each week, we will focus on a relevant theme and make the connection between theory and practice.
• Week 1: Transformative change: the paradox of scale
• Week 2: Visioning a sustainable world
• Week 3: Social tipping points
• Week 4: A fractal approach to scaling
• Week 5: The role of agency in transformative change
• Week 6: Beyond scale: Why you matter!
Practical details
Start: Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026
End: Wednesday, May 26th, 2026
Time: 16:00–18:00 PM CEST
Sessions: April 22, April 29, May 6, May 13, May 19, May 27
Please note that there will be no session on Wednesday, May 20; it will instead take place on a Tuesday, May 19, 2026.
Registration fees
Early bird rate until April 8: €90 (NOK 995,- )
Regular: €150 (NOK 1700,-)
Student: €45 (NOK 500)
What is included:
- Six live online sessions (2 hours each) held with care and intention
- One year of access to the learning materials and Zoom recordings
- Engagement with an inspiring international community of change makers
- Upon completion of this program, a certificate of participation if requested
If the price is a barrier for you, please get in touch.
Learning outcomes
This action-oriented course equips participants with the knowledge, skills, and practical tools needed to understand and accelerate transformative change toward sustainability, including:
- New perspectives on scaling change that contributes to systems-level impacts
- Concepts and tools that can be directly applied to projects and initiatives
- An understanding of how small, strategic actions contribute to transformative change at scale
Who this course is for?
This program is for anyone who wants to navigate today’s complex world with greater clarity, and integrity. No prior background is required — only curiosity, openness, and a willingness to engage.
Karen O'Brien
Karen O'Brien is a human geographer whose work focuses on the social and human dimensions of environmental change, particularly in relation to climate change. As a researcher and co-founder of cCHANGE, her work focuses on integrative approaches to scaling transformative change in society
Karen is an internationally-recognized scholar who has participated in four IPCC reports and was co-chair of the International Science-Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Transformative Change Assessment. In 2021 she was co-recipient of the BBVA Foundation's Frontiers of Knowledge Award for Climate Change.
Her book on quantum social change is available to listen to or read through her Substack newsletter:
We hope you will join us for this 6-week course on scaling transformative change!
