On the 29th of June, 4:30 to 6:15 pm CEST, the European Youth Energy Network (EYEN), an European network of youth energy-focused organisation will be launched with the mission of placing youth at the heart of the European energy transition.
Federico Barbieri (IT), President of EYEN and former SDG7 European youth focal point, is glad with this accomplishment:
“When I started my work as Focal Point for the SDG7 Youth Constituency in Europe, there were already several motivated organisations doing a fantastic job. Now we finally have set the framework to harmonise their actions and unleash their potential for the energy challenges of our and upcoming generations.”
Catalysing youth engagement
The idea for EYEN was born during the 10th Clean Energy Ministerial event in 2019. The co-founders, Federico Barbieri (IT), Luciana Miu (RO) and Miguel Mosca (PT), identified a lack of youth participation in high-level debates and ministerial meetings concerning the European energy transition.
Luciana Miu: “In order to overcome this gap, we came to the conclusion we need a catalyst for youth engagement. EYEN can provide the social infrastructure to succeed in executing the energy plans in the European Green Deal.”
The organisation is in the process of being legally established as a non-profit international association based in Brussels.
Getting things done
Over the years, the founding group of EYEN has been working closely with DG ENER and the Major Group for Children and Youth (MGCY) via the SDG7 Youth Constituency (SDG7 YC) to establish and develop the network.
Miguel Mosca (PT), Vice-president of EYEN: “It is important to prove yourselves first by getting things done. In June 2020, we assisted in conceptualising the first ever European Youth Energy Day. In December 2020, we organised the Youth Shaping the Climate Pact, developing a policy paper on “Gaps and ideas for youth engagement” to the European Commission. And recently, in March 2021, EYEN won the SOLVE THE GAP Hackathon with the EU Policy Hub project.”
Event details
The launch event encompasses high-level stakeholders from the European Commission, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and EIT Innoenergy. So far, 250 people have signed up to attend the launch event, and 750 are interested on LinkedIn to watch the livestream. The objective is to promote EYEN and position the organisation as a key player in youth engagement for the energy sector. The event will introduce EYEN to a wide range of international and national stakeholders. It kickstarts dialogues between EYEN and its potential members/partners and explains their possible involvement in EYEN or opportunities that the organisation could offer.
On 29th June 16:30 the launch event will be livestreamed on Youtube.