Young European Leaders

Deliberating the future development of the EU is an integral part of European integration and a cornerstone of European democracy. One challenge lies in keeping citizens’ interest in this debate alive. Another challenge lies in addressing tomorrow’s leaders of Europe, because they will shape the Future of Europe. Raising their awareness for upcoming challenges and training them to become responsible leaders is therefore key to any democratic society.

The program "Young European Leaders" enables the development of young strategies for sustainable development in Europe, focusing on the topics of green economy, climate protection, engagement and the global south.

By dealing with concrete issues of sustainable development and peer-to-peer exchange in a network for engagement, the young Europeans are encouraged to participate and empowered to make their own decisions and get involved in decision-making processes.

The program is aimed at young people, young professionals and thus the future leaders of Europe. It explicity addresses participants with diverse backgrounds and from different fields. Through seminars including innovative methods and in-depth discussions on current and future challenges to European societies, the participants experience self-efficacy, engage intensively with relevant sustainability issues, and can situate themselves as engaged citizens in solution and decision-making processes.

The program consists of four project modules, including three content strands and a networking event.

• In strand A, three seminars as part of the Czech-German Young Professionals Program focus on societal challenges of sustainable transformation processes;
• strand B addresses the nexus of greener economies for climate protection in a Spring Academy seminar;
• in strand C the question of collaboration with the global south on sustainability challenges is discussed in a seminar;
• a final YEL network summit brings together all participants of the three strands to introduce a growing network of engaged young professionals, fostering peer-exchange and mutual support among engaged young citizens by bringing them together with decision-makers and politicians from different fields.

The focus is on mutual learning along the common challenges and the sustainable establishment of an exchange between the committed participants.