Youth and Environment Europe

Who we are  

Youth and Environment Europe (YEE) was created in 1983 to raise awareness on environmental issues, conservation and the climate crisis, and to promote international cooperation of young people. Since then, YEE has become the largest independent European network of environmental youth organisations, promoting international cooperation among its members and strengthening youth participation in climate and environmental decision-making processes. YEE now has 52 members in 30 European countries. The network supports them in their work focused on raising the voices of young people in countries in Europe that are often overlooked in the decision making processes. 

A small YEE Secretariat is composed of dedicated young professionals who ensure the consistency of projects’ quality and take care of the network´s daily activities. The YEE Secretariat is directly supported by the YEE Executive Board. The Board consists of 6 young people working remotely across Europe. The Board and Secretariat are working with volunteers and interns who are supporting the YEE´s work. Since 1998, YEE’s HQ has been based in Prague, Czech Republic, in order to be more accessible to the growing number of NGOs from the Eastern part of Europe. 

What we do 

YEE mission is to unite environmental youth non-profit organisations in Europe. YEE goal is to mitigate the climate crisis by: 

• raising awareness and building capacity among youth on the climate crisis; 
• enhancing international cooperation and knowledge-sharing among our members; 
• strengthening the participation of youth in environmental and climate decision making processes. 

Youth and Environment Europe is a member of the United Nations Environment (UNEP), European Environmental Bureau, European Youth Forum, and a co-founding member of the EU4Ocean Coalition. YEE is also co-founder of the Generation Climate Europe, the largest coalition of youth-led NGOs at the European level, is part of the board of the European Environmental Bureau, Europe’s largest network of environmental citizens’ organisations; and a member of the European Youth Forum which is the platform of the national youth councils and international non-governmental youth organisations in Europe. YEE has extensive experience in organising non-formal and experiential learning training and workshops, based on diversity, inclusion, and designing for multiplication and further knowledge dissemination. 

YEE has become a hub offering young people various opportunities to meet, exchange ideas and experiences, to learn more about the protection of nature and environment from each other and to connect directly with the decision makers. All YEE activities, campaigns and projects are organised and carried out by young people under 30. 

Our current projects are focused on different aspects of the climate crisis, such as biodiversity and ocean protection, climate migration, public health, management of natural resources, environmental law or Arctic issues. Some of our projects are: 

• « Franco-Russian Dialogue on Climate Change » 
• « Geoengineering : a climate of uncertainty? », 
• « Imagining the Green Future » 
• « Lights on Aarhus : Access to climate justice » .

All of those projects wouldn´t been possible without the support of our funders and partners and the dedication of our team members!