10 Years of YES – Europe : A Decade of Young Leaders Shaping the Energy Transition

From 50 students in Lausanne to a community of 12,000+ across 25 countries, celebrating a decade of connecting, empowering, and growing the next generation of climate leaders.

Ten years ago today, on 28 May 2016, a group of 50 students from 9 European countries gathered at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) for the very first YES-Europe Annual Conference. They came together to connect, to learn, and to find meaningful ways to make a difference in the field of energy and sustainability. They didn’t know it then, but they were planting the seed of a movement.

A decade on, YES-Europe is a community of 12,000+ young leaders on LinkedIn, 1,500+ on Instagram, with active representation in 25 countries across Europe. Officially registered as an NGO in Geneva in 2020, our vision remains as clear as it was on day one: to accelerate the energy transition.

To mark our 10th birthday, here are ten highlights from a decade of building, growing, and showing up.

1. From 50 students in Lausanne to 25 country teams across Europe. Born from an EPFL initiative, YES-Europe has grown into one of the largest youth-led energy and sustainability networks on the continent.

2. 10 Annual Conferences in 10 European cities. Lausanne (2016), Berlin (2017), Madrid (2018), Delft (2019), Online during the pandemic (2021), Turin (2022), Athens (2023), Leuven (2024), Vienna (2025), and Milan (2026). Every single one organised by a new wave of young leaders, hosted by some of Europe’s most respected universities and partners.

3. A community 12,000+ strong on LinkedIn — and 1,500+ on Instagram. A community that shows up for one another, online and in person, across borders, languages, and disciplines.

4. 25 countries with active YES-Europe teams. From Malta to Greece, from Italy to Switzerland, from Belgium to Austria, each one running their own events, projects, and chapters of the story.

5. Officially an NGO since 2020. What began as a student gathering became a registered NGO in Geneva, formalising our seat at Europe’s climate table.

6. Six Presidents in ten years. Six people trusted with the keys to YES-Europe, each bringing their own chapter, their own friendships, and their own legacy. Today, Michiel Van Cauwelaert leads us into the next decade.

7. Five COP delegations. From Sharm El-Sheikh (COP27) to Dubai (COP28) to Baku (COP29) to Belém (COP30) and soon Antalya for COP31 — YES-Europe has carried the voice of young Europeans into the world’s most important climate negotiations.

8. 30+ international and local events in the last year alone. From EUSEW in Brussels to SB62 in Bonn, EYEF in Catania, ReGeneration Week in Åland, and ChangeNOW in Paris.

9. 25+ high-level publications on energy and sustainability. Position papers, reports, articles, and policy briefs. The Future of Energy Report 2025-2026 is our latest. Talk Energy with YES-Europe is now in its third season, joined by Talk Policy with YES-Europe.

10. Flagship initiatives that move the needle. POWERYOUTH (empowering youth to support energy communities), Women in the Energy Transition (promoting female role models), the Africa-Europe Energy Transition Project (collaborating with African changemakers), and the Policy Map Project (analysing green innovations and climate action initiatives).

But the data only tells part of the story.

YES-Europe is and has always been about people. About the friendships made over late-night conference calls and longer dinners. About the country representatives who carry their chapter on their shoulders. About the quiet work that happens in inboxes, group chats, and shared docs, far from the spotlight. As our former President Eric Balakrishnan wrote on the eve of this anniversary: “YES-Europe is still thriving and on an upward trajectory, a decade since our foundation, because we have changed the lives of our members.”

That’s the poetry of the energy transition. Many of us work in silence to face the battles that no one will hear about. But collectively, we will win this climate war.

To everyone who has been part of this, the 50 students in Lausanne, the six Presidents, the country representatives, the speakers, the partners, the friends – Thank You.

You built this.

Here’s to the next 10. And the 100 after that.