CHECK OUT OUR 2023 ANNUAL REPORT

Highlights

Here’s a sneak peak to our 2023 Annual Report!

From our Board Chair

From our Executive Director

2023: Our Impact at a Glance

Here’s a glimpse of Student Energy’s 2023 impact in numbers:

• Global Reach: Our Programs Ecosystem (7 active programs) engaged a total of 826 participants from 116 countries, 78 of which are developing economies.
• Youth Empowerment: Supported 9 global youth delegations at prestigious events, and 407 youth delegates from 95 countries attended SES 2023, the largest youth-led energy summit.
• Global Community Engagement: Reached 32,730 people through our global Chapters network, with a membership of 4,369 students from different universities across the world.
• Mentorship, Early Career and Project Development: 32 graduates completed the first cohort of the Guided Projects program, received 1,604 Career Training and 1,063 Fellowship applications from youth interested in joining our capacity-building and mentorship-oriented programs.
• Networking: Spoke at 34 panels and events in the climate and energy space worldwide, including the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) UAE, Climate Week NYC, and Africa Energy Forum, among others.
• Recognition: Received 3 individual awards and one organizational accolade, “Best Nonprofit Employer: Youth Advancement for an organization with 20+ staff”, awarded by CharityVillage.

5 accomplishments we’re celebrating:

1. Successfully hosting SES 2023 in Abu Dhabi, bringing together 407 young people from around the world.

Making history as the first International Student Energy Summit held in the MENA region – a global hub for energy, SES 2023 featured 407 youth delegates from all over the world to meaningfully collaborate with sector and community leaders on energy solutions. We are proud to work with several partners for the first time, including Bezos Earth Fund, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), and coordinated with NYU Abu Dhabi and the COP 28 UAE team as the Summit took place as an official side event of the UN Climate Change Conference for the very first time.

2. Activating a first cohort of youth-led clean energy projects in solar PV through the Guided Projects program and expanding the program’s offerings and reach.

With 32 graduates from 6 teams representing Kenya, Canada, and Peru, the Guided Projects program provided teams with the firsthand experience of developing solar PV projects to solve local energy problems in their communities. After a successful first cohort, Student Energy focused on retooling and securing additional resources for the program’s continuation in February 2024.

3. Releasing and disseminating our first round of the three research projects with active stakeholder engagement throughout.

Under Student Energy’s newly launched Research and Youth Engagement program, we launched the Global Youth Energy Outlook (GYEO), the Youth Impact Framework, and the Energy Transition Skills Project.

VIEW THE REPORTS

4. Integrating mentorship as a core aspect of our Programs Ecosystem, offering our youth network platforms to build connections through mentorship offerings.

Mentorship is the foundation of the Student Energy Career Training (SECT) program, and regional and language-specific mentorship is necessary and achieved through individual recruitment from program coordinators who are globally dispersed.

5. Amplifying youth-led action on energy on global stages and decision-making spaces

Student Energy attended 23 global energy and climate events, including the New York Climate Week, Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue, and the Africa Energy Forum among others. We participated as speakers and moderators at 34 events, and hosted 11 events at COP 28 and the Student Energy Summit. We acted in an advisory capacity for several youth councils, and hosted the very first Youth Energy Narratives Council under the Research and Youth Engagement portfolio.

We’ve got so much more in store for you! Explore our 2023 Annual Report:

STUDENT ENERGY'S 2023 ANNUAL REPORT 

Thank you for standing by us as we empower the next generation of leaders in driving a just and equitable energy future! Your continued support fuels our mission and inspires us every step of the way.

Follow us:

Instagram: @studentenergy 

Twitter: @studentenergy 

LinkedIn: Student Energy

Facebook: Student Energy

YouTube: Student Energy

TikTok: @studentenergy

Threads: @studentenergy

Website & Blog: https://studentenergy.org/

During the COVID-19 pandemic, dwindling demand for oil resulted in drastic decreases in production. As a result, oil companies began shutting down wells and laying off employees. However, as the pandemic entered a new stage with the introduction of vaccines, demand for oil across the globe surged – but with a decreased labor force and inactive wells, oil companies have been slow to catch up with the rapid demand for gasoline. Combined with the attack on Ukraine, interruptions of Russian oil shipments, and US import bans on Russia (who supplies 12% of the world’s oil) global oil prices have risen nearly 65% since the beginning of 2022.

Amongst the current situation, two sides of discussion have emerged within the energy sector:

“Energy security should take precedence over clean energy transitions”

Fossil fuel proponents, including many oil and gas producing countries, argue that now is the time for greater investment in oil and gas. Supporters are highlighting several reasons for expansion of the fossil fuel industry, including:

• Transition away from fossil-fuel energy would cause energy prices to become too high for millions around the world
• The energy transition will take time and in that period, the world will need more oil and gas – the world needs to be pragmatic about ‘near term goals’
• Oil and gas and climate action are not mutually exclusive. Oil and gas will remain as part of the overall energy mix, and investments must continue in the oil and gas front

“Without energy security, countries will lose the means to tackle climate change,”
– Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister

“We cannot and  we must not unplug the current energy system before we have built the new one”
– Sultan al-Jaber, UAE’s special envoy for climate change and managing director of Abu Dhab’s  state-owned oil company

“We cannot afford to continue using fossil fuels” 

Climate scientists and activists are calling the current global crisis an opportunity to ignite true reform within the energy sector, and push back against increased investments in fossil fuels to stay within the 1.5°C limit set to mitigate catastrophic climate consequences. With Russia being the world’s second top producer of crude oil and supplier of approximately ⅓ of  Europe’s oil, European governments have been prompted to reappraise their energy supplies, and consider clean energy sources and increased efficiency to decrease dependence on fossil fuels for environmental and geopolitical reasons

“There is now significant evidence to show that hydrocarbons are not just environmentally unsustainable, but that they weaken the social, political and economic fabric of our world too,” 

• David Blood, Co-Chair, World Resources Institute Global Board of Directors.

Without transition to clean energy, the devastating impacts of climate change such as increased frequency of extreme weather events and forest fires, rising global food insecurity, and biodiversity extinction will continue to have vast impacts on society and the planet. According to the Unextractable Fossil Fuels in a 1.5°C World, released in September 2021, 60% of oil and gas and 90% of coal reserves around the worst must remain underground and unutilized to have a 50% chance of preventing the worst impacts of climate change. Additionally, the report also estimates that global oil and gas production must decline by 3% annually until 2050.

What’s happening now?
Indeed, some countries may be placing greater priority on energy security over clean energy goals due to the Russian invasion. For instance, China plans to recover and stabilize oil output to 200 million tons a year by 2025, a 5% increase from 2018 and is targeting production of 230 billion cubic meters of gas by 2025, a 19% increase from 2020. In Australia, emission reduction efforts such as early closure of coal plants, may be decreasingly prioritized as the government emphasizes the country’s need for energy security and lower energy costs.  

In Europe, Germany plans on building two liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals supplied by Qatar to replace imports from Russia. Government in Munich has also decided to extend the life of one of the city’s coal-fired power plants, which was previously planned for conversion to burn natural gas in spring 2023. Additionally, UK prime minister Boris Johnson made headlines for hinting at potential UK reliance on Saudi Arabia to speed up oil production for the country – a move criticized for feigning ignorance to Saudi Arabia’s record of human rights abuse. 

At the same time, the European Commission has announced an ambitious plan to reduce reliance on Russian gas by two-thirds by the end of 2022 and abolish all Russian fossil fields by 2030. The EC’s plan would prioritize installation of solar panels as well as divert LNG supplies from non-Russian sources. Despite the plan to build two LNG terminals, Germany has also set out an agenda to generate 100% of its energy production from renewable sources by 2035. Moreover, the Netherlands aims to double its planned offshore wind capacity by 2030, while France is increasing its support for renewable energy heating. 

The Bottom line

The current shift in oil and gas demand has led to arguments and action towards short-term solutions that address pressing energy security challenges. Although these challenges are of real concern and cause significant disadvantages for large portions of the global population, continued reliance on fossil fuels is an unsustainable strategy – especially with its well-known environmental, and rising geopolitical and ethical concerns.  With renewable energy technology becoming increasingly inexpensive, clean energy methods can serve as a protector against the multifaceted concerns and consequences of the fossil fuel industry; and the pressure of the climate emergency intertwined with recent energy crises only demonstrates how transitions to clean energy systems are critical now more than ever before.

It was another rollercoaster of a year for the world, and we are grateful to have experienced it together as an organization and with our global youth community. Throughout the year, we are energized by the many young people who are striving to make an impact and keep climate action at the forefront. This past year, as we continued to grow our staff and Board of Directors teams internationally, we also aligned our various program offerings into one cohesive Programs Ecosystem that provides multiple pathways for young people to engage with Student Energy. Whether young people are considering a future in energy for the very first time, or whether they are ready to launch their own energy project, there is a Student Energy program that is designed to provide youth with the tangible skills, networks, and resources needed to reach the next level. We also put into motion our most ambitious initiative yet, the Student Energy Solutions Movement, which aims to deliver on our goal of empowering young people to take action by raising $150 million by 2030 to launch 10,000 youth-led clean energy projects.

Here are some of the things we accomplished in 2021:

• We launched the Student Energy Solutions Movement, as a youth-led UN Energy Compact, in partnership with the Government of Denmark as our first funder and New Energy Nexus as our project implementation partner. The announcement was made at the UN High Level Dialogue on Energy in June, and we held an in-person launch during New York Climate Week.
• We launched the initial findings from the Global Youth Energy Outlook at COP26, with several of our Regional Coordinators attending in person to present their work.
• Student Energy’s 40 global Chapters engaged 43, 579 people in 2021 through in-person and virtual community engagements.
• Our Energy System Map web and video views have continued to rise, reaching a total of 14 million+ lifetime views, with 2.5 million of those just in 2021.
• For COP 26 in Glasgow, we brought together our largest youth delegation yet, supporting 8 of our team members to attend and speak at over 10 events, and collaborated with many other Student Energy alumni in attendance.
• We continued expanding our core programs, including the second cohort of the Student Energy Fellowship (formerly known as the Leaders Fellowship), and the fourth annual cohort of the Greenpreneurs virtual startup incubator.
• The Intersectional Equity Taskforce completed their term, and put together a set of ambitious recommendations to be implemented in coming years.
• Led by SevenGen and powered by Student Energy and Indigenous Clean Energy, we supported the launch of the ImaGENation Indigenous Youth Mentorship Program in 2021, and continued the planning process for the second SevenGen Indigenous Youth Energy Summit, rescheduled to be held in 2022.
• Student Energy’s team grew from 25 staff members to 29 staff and 7 international Associates.
• We provided $133,000 in funding directly to young people to support them with honorariums and awards to help them take action on energy, and are gearing up to launch our direct-to-youth funding model, Student Energy Ventures, in 2022.

One of the most powerful messages during the Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition[1] event, was that youth no longer want to be seen as victims of climate catastrophe, but rather as active agents playing a crucial role in climate action and the transition to a sustainable energy future.

According to the Global Youth Energy Outlook[2], youth-led research project that gathered the contributions of over 40,000 young people from all over the world, young people prioritize the achievement of a sustainable energy future. Youth representatives identified different barriers depending on their region – for example, in Latin America, youth identified government policies as one of the main barriers to achieving a sustainable energy future, whilst in Africa it was the lack of technology diffusion. Indeed, social, political, and environmental contexts have led youth initiatives to champion specific priorities and tangible solutions.

In Peru, the National Employment Policy pointed out the need to create and promote jobs within the framework of a just transition towards a green and productive economy by 2030. Considering young people represent nearly 25% of the total population in the country and it comprises a third of the working-age population[3], the just transition is a must. According to the Ministry of Labour and Employment Promotion, in November 2020, the energy sector had 4,512 young workers, of which only 26% had completed a university degree^[4].

Empowering youth innovation: Student Energy Fellowship

How many innovative ideas reside within youth? How many of these youth have support to finance, develop, and scale these ideas? Student Energy, a global organization led by young people, has been working since 2009 on the empowerment of youth to accelerate the transition towards sustainable energy. One of its programs is the Student Energy Fellowship that provides core energy systems education and builds project management and leadership skills for young people to act on the energy system. The Fellowship acts as a hub that identifies and supports youth projects around the world for 10 months, promoting networking with fellows from around the world, and mentoring sessions on how to break into energy careers.

In 2021, 130 young people from the five continents participated in the Fellowship, with 42% of the cohort representing Latin America. This year, Student Energy has a greater presence in our country with ten Peruvian teams selected, among which are undergraduate, postgraduate, and young professionals who have been chosen from the cities of Lima, Piura, Arequipa, La Libertad, and Ancash. The projects are related to capacity building, energy efficiency, sustainable housing, feasibility of solar projects, among others. These projects share the commitment to create an impact in their communities and it represents one step forward in their professional careers.

With the joint support of the private, public, and non-governmental sectors, these youth projects can be replicated in different regions and thus show the commitment to achieve a fair energy transition and support climate action. If you are interested in learning more about the projects in the country or in the region, visit https://studentenergy.org and/or contact us at info@studentenergy.org

^[1] The event was developed within the framework of COP26 and was one of the youth events to put forward ideas and concrete proposals related to climate change issues.

^[2] Global Youth Energy Outlook (GYEO) was developed by Student Energy in 2021. The research identifies the priorities of more than 40,000 young people between the ages of 18 and 30 around the world to achieve a sustainable energy future.

[3] The data is based on the National Youth Policy, approved by Supreme Decree No. 013-2019-MINEDU

[4] In 2021, a freedom of information request was made to the Ministry of Labor and Employment Promotion, which indicated that there is no data on young wage earners in the formal private sector in the Energy Sector, since the National Household Survey on Living Conditions and Poverty, the main source of information on the labor market, does not have statistical representation at the disaggregation level. However, they provided information based on the electronic forms as of November 2020, considering young people between 18 and 29 years of age.

While there is a lot to be excited about and while accelerating the transition to renewable energy is still an urgent priority, we have to also keep in mind the valid concerns related to renewable energy – check out a related post: Exploring Concerns About Renewable Energy.

This post is a part of our ongoing #Energy101 social media series. We create accompanying blog posts alongside our social media posts for accessibility, to provide additional information, and to link our sources. Check out the series on Instagram @studentenergy, and on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Want to share this post? Click on the image!

 

Myth 1: Renewable energy is too expensive

Why this is false: The cost of renewable energy has dropped in price in the last 10 years, with the price of solar alone falling 89% in a decade. Prices have fallen so low, quickly, that on-shore wind turbines and large-scale solar power are often cheaper or comparable to conventional fossil fuel and non-renewable sources – and that is largely without the subsidies and incentives that the fossil fuel industry has received for decades.

Did you know?

 According to a 2020 report by IRENA, renewables are now the cheapest sources of electricity globally. This milestone presents countries that are heavily reliant on coal as a cheap source of power to increase the pace of their transition while reducing electricity costs and meeting energy needs.

Myth 2: Renewable energy can’t deliver when there isn’t sunshine or wind, making the grid unreliable

Why this is false: Yes, solar and wind energy are intermittent – but this doesn’t necessarily have to make the energy grid unreliable. Even with fossil fuel sources, electricity grids must be designed to manage variability and maintain a balance between generation and demand. Here are some ways to manage intermittency:

1. Using a diverse combination of renewable energy sources so that one can step in for another when needed
2. Advances in energy storage — battery storage technology is improving, and costs for some technologies like lithium-ion batteries have declined by almost 90% in the past decade
3. Demand flexibility and smart demand response strategies could help eliminate steep rise and falls in energy demand throughout the course of a day and help balance supply and demand  

Energy 101 terminology: How are overall costs of electricity generation from different sources compared? Using a measure called the levelized cost of electricity or LCOE. Lazard and the Energy Information Administration are two reliable sources that make this data available.

Myth 3: Transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy will result in job losses

Why this is false: IRENA estimates global jobs in renewable energy are expected to reach 42 million by 2050, more than triple the current level, while policies advocating for energy efficiency can generate millions of additional jobs. Although there can be a net positive increase of jobs, there may also be a loss of 5 million jobs in the fossil fuel sector, which underscores a need for a just transition that ensures that new clean energy opportunities are available in the right places and accessible to those employed in the current energy sector.

The Brookings institute also found that in the United States, “workers in clean energy earn higher and more equitable wages when compared to all workers nationally”

Did you know?

According to a recent report by the African Development Bank (AFDB) and IRENA, an “integrated policy framework” built around the energy transition could unlock Africa’s vast potential, opening new sustainable energy investments and growing its economy by 6.5% by 2050. The solar sector alone could also employ 3.3 million Africans by 2050.

Sources

1. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/03/renewable-energy-myths-debunked/
2. https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2019/02/3-clean-energy-myths-debunked/
3. https://www.theverge.com/22858437/2021-mining-critical-minerals-clean-energy-renewables-climate-change
4. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/07/renewables-cheapest-energy-source/
5. https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/12/21/opinion/busting-three-renewable-energy-and-grid-myths

   “The GYEO is a way to bridge the communications gap that exists right now between young people calling for more, and leaders who don’t seem to be hearing or understanding what they’re asking for. “

– Helen Watts, Senior Director of Global Partnerships at Student Energy

Developing the Global Youth Energy Outlook

Since Student Energy began this global data project, two things became very clear: 

1. To create an Outlook that truly represented the viewpoints of young people from around the world, the Outlook needed to be led by youth
2. We wanted the Outlook to be about systems change, looking beyond just policy, and technology, but at social dimensions to ensure we have a justice-centered approach to the energy transition. 

To achieve this, we recruited a diverse team of 12 Regional Coordinators who have been working with Student Energy over the last 18 months, conducting community outreach in their global regions, recruiting hundreds of volunteer country ambassadors, and worked with community organizations to ensure representation across countries, urban and rural regions, and socioeconomic backgrounds. The RC’s also hosted regional dialogues, expanding on the information collected from the GYEO survey, to hear qualitative insights, lived experiences, opinions, and perspectives from youth. 

Click here to view our preliminary results:

PRELIMINARY RESULTS

Our launch event included an intergenerational programme where Regional Coordinators showcased key findings and regional insights from their research, as well as pathways for decision-makers to work collaboratively with youth on setting the agenda for achieving SDG7. 

Watch the full stream of our launch event:

Watch here

Key initial insights:

1. The majority of young people want their countries to take immediate and drastic climate action, commensurate to the severity and scale of the global climate crisis. This includes accelerating targets for net-zero emissions, investing and scaling solutions that transition the system away from fossil fuels, and investing skill-training and financial resources towards the young generation as leaders in climate action.

“From Regional Dialogues that I held in Southeast Asia, one line that I can derive is ‘we do not have any more time to continue with our destructive, business-as-usual path.’ We are calling for more ambitious resources, and finance mobilization towards slow carbon investment. We want to increase the renewable energy share in the global energy mix. We want to ensure universal access to affordable and clean energy. We want to see improvement in energy efficiency [moving] forward, and we would like to accelerate the decarbonization of heavy industry. As the current future work force, we aspire to have more green jobs and we demand a just and equitable transition by making sure we leave no one behind. Most importantly, we would like more adaptation actions, so we can be a climate resilient society.” 

– Nabila Putri Salsabila, Regional Coordinator for Southeast Asia

2. Leaders across government and industry should actively create opportunities for young people to meaningfully engage with decision makers and in decision-making spaces. Young people want to be equal partners in developing and carrying out policies, upskilling, community organizing, and working on tangible climate solutions. It’s important for these leaders and organizations to recognize and address barriers that currently prevent young people from getting involved. 

 

“There’s a huge gap between young people’s willingness to engage and the support they feel that they get. There’s a huge opportunity for governments and businesses and organizations to support young people, like give them the funding and the skills and the mentorship they need to bring their ideas and bring their willingness to take climate action into real solutions and real actions.” 

– Linette Knudsen, Regional Coordinator for Europe

3. The GYEO highlighted important regional differences between young people from developing and emerging economies and those from higher income, developed regions. The GYEO serves as a powerful tool for governments to differentially target their strengths and shortcomings to achieve a globally just and sustainable future. 

“In Latin America, youth see [government] policies as the biggest barrier to a sustainable energy future. In Africa, it is the lack of advanced technologies. If we address all of these regional differences, we will understand that governments…can carefully use this data to enhance climate education in some regions, invest more in clean energy and renewable energy resources and advance technologies in others….We still want the same sustainable future. We still want to see net-zero goals, we may have different horizons for these goals, but we all want to see a sustainable future.” 

– Arsenii Kirgizov-Barskii, Regional Coordinator for Eastern Europe & Central Asia

Watch the full stream of our Launch Event at COP26, including an intergenerational dialogue [57:35] with Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, and Jorn Verbeeck, head of Research and Innovation for the Global Covenant of Mayors, here.

We adapted our plans and programs in a big way this year, and we couldn’t have done it without you – thank
you. Whether you learned about Student Energy for the first time this year, joined us as a partner or a program participant, or cheered us on through social media, your support allows us to continue making an impact. Here are some of the things we accomplished this year:

• We grew our network to 47 chapters in 22 countries, who engaged over 16,000 youth in 2020.
• We launched the first Leaders Fellowship cohort in January, and ended the year with 47 global teams completing their 10-month program. We’re set for an even bigger year in 2021, as we bring in 90+ teams for the second cohort in response to overwhelming demand for the program.
• The Global Youth Outlook survey is now available in eight languages, and we are working with a global youth team of Regional Coordinators to reach 50,000 young people in the lead-up to COP26.
• Our Energy System Map and video users skyrocketed this year, reaching a total of 10 Million+ users, with 2.5 million of those just in 2020, as more students and educators turned to digital energy learning resources. This year, we launched the  new Energy System Map at  www.studentenergy.org, featuring the new “Influences” layer, to help young people understand how to change the energy system.
• We provided $120,000 in funding directly to young people to support them with honorariums and awards to help them take  action on energy, and are working on an even more ambitious direct-to-youth funding strategy for 2021.
• To date Student Energy has now partnered with 90 organizations to make space for youth, we’ve developed new models for intergenerational collaboration that will continue to expand through 2021.
• Student Energy’s team grew from 9 to 25 staff members
• As a youth-led organization, we are excited to see that youth leadership for bold, just climate action is being recognized more often on the global stage. We are hopeful for this recognition to grow into more meaningful support and resources for youth-led climate and energy solutions in 2021. To make this happen, we think there’s a lot more that organizations, governments, and those in power need to do to fully empower and equip youth with the tools and resources they need to take action.

The unaddressed education gap

What is the role of post-secondary educators in being honest about the future of the oil and gas industry and about the magnitude of the climate crisis? From reading this article, it’s clear that some university departments are not doing a good job of teaching young people the systems thinking skills they need to be part of the energy system of the future. Scientists, academics, activists (especially young people), and policy experts have been ringing the alarm about climate change and the unsustainability of the current fossil fuel-dependent energy system for over two decades at the least. As educators, it is imperative that evidence-based climate science and the level of urgency required for action is communicated to students seeking careers in the energy sector to foster critical thinking and decision-making for future career choices.

At Student Energy, we work with young people interested in or already working in all parts of the energy sector, we take young people’s futures seriously – and this includes having a secure, thriving career that provides financial stability while meaningfully addressing climate change and creating a sustainable energy system for all. We also recognize that the energy sector’s harms on Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities around the world, and on nature, cannot be ignored, and efforts to address, transform, and repair these harms are as much part of the clean energy transition as efforts to create secure employment opportunities.

Our approach to these big challenges includes providing free, globally accessible energy education resources, free skill development and capacity building programs, and fostering a global community of youth who are all committed to advocating for a sustainable energy transition in every sector.

Where are the young oil and gas workers who are not necessarily “seeking elite positions” in the industry?

We need to consider and prioritize support for current workers to transition out of the oil and gas industry, and young people in regions where there is a lack of opportunity for other careers. Young people are facing employment challenges in all sectors right now, so if we highlight youth in oil and gas, we need a deeper dive into why young people choose these careers beyond those seeking a disproportionately high salary: 

• It may be the only viable job option in their region
• They may face mounting costs of living or debt
• It may be one of the few industries in their region that provides adequate educational and professional training or support. 

This article could have served youth better by telling more of those stories – these more complex choices deserve to be explored so that young people can be empowered to find alternate career pathways.

The changing energy sector needs to contend with years of successful youth recruitment strategies by the fossil fuel industry. It’s important to explore how the rapidly growing clean energy sector provides more meaningful support throughout young people’s career trajectory, particularly for BIPOC youth who have been historically underrepresented in the energy sector. Student Energy has repeatedly noted the lack of free, globally accessible programs for professional development and skill-building in preparation for an energy career, and have made it one of our central priorities as an organization to provide these programs.

What does a just transition actually look like?

With oil companies laying off more than 100,000 workers in the United States alone, and the increasingly urgent timeline for global emissions reductions, a just transition away from fossil fuels is imminent. We need to start diving into the specifics of what this looks like, both what it means for oil and gas companies (those who have set some climate targets and those who have not), and what it will take to create a supportive policy landscape that can facilitate this transition for the hundreds of thousands of workers employed in the oil and gas sector. We’ll need to ensure our education systems are empowering young people to be critical thinkers, equipped with transferable skills that they can apply across the changing energy system.

Learn more about Student Energy’s skill-building programs here.

A first of its kind report, the Outlook will set the baseline for what young people expect from the sustainable energy transition, and how they want to work with governments and energy industry companies to make change happen. 

Learn more about the Outlook, and the team that’s helping to make it all happen at www.studentenergy.org/outlook

Our goals

• To empower young people to effectively communicate with their elected representatives and other decision makers
• To demonstrate that young people around the world have the ability to come together in a cohesive way to imagine their energy future, making young people one of the most important partners in building a sustainable energy system
• To demystify what young people want want to see in the sustainable energy transition, and outline the principles to guide the transition

How is the Outlook being developed?

With Student Energy, twelve youth Regional Coordinators from around the world are working to engage a total of 50,000 young people in a 6-month long research process to identify young people’s priorities for their region across policy, technology, society, and finance. 

Following a two-phase research process, they will develop regional roadmaps to 2030, outlining how their region can decarbonize its energy system, and how young people want to be part of that transition. 

These regional roadmaps will be a guide for policymakers and elected representatives, companies in the energy sector, academic institutions, and other organizations to be able to form more meaningful and equitable relationships with young people in their region.

With uncertainty about the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on the world’s resiliency and climate commitments, it will be more important than ever that young people are empowered and mobilized to raise ambition on the sustainable energy transition in the next decade. 

What’s next

Phase 1 Research Questionnaire

The development of the Outlook takes place in two phases: a broad questionnaire aimed at young people 18-30 from all backgrounds, followed by a Phase II that includes regional community dialogues. Fill out the questionnaire here.

Regional Coordinator Interview Series

In the next few days, we will introduce each of our Regional Coordinators through an interview series on Student Energy Stories and on our Instagram.

Partnership Launch

The Outlook development process couldn’t take place without the important contributions of our funding partners and strategic partners. Over the next few weeks, we will introduce our partners, outline the support they’re providing for the Outlook, and share new partnership opportunities.

Young people around the world are feeling the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, as summer internships, co-op work placements, part time jobs, full time jobs, and summer exchange and leadership development programs are being cancelled abruptly. This change, while necessary to help slow the spread of COVID-19, leaves many young people (particularly recent post-secondary graduates) at an unexpected pause in their career and skill-building at a crucial turning point in their professional careers.

These summer work cancellations also disproportionately impact young people who don’t have the option of independently continuing their professional development by paying for expensive certification programs or courses, and young people who cannot afford to take on unpaid internships to build up experience while facing increasing economic instability.

While the world grapples with the immediate and tragic loss from COVID-19, we want to encourage those who are able to think about how they will support the next generation in becoming the leaders we will need to help move beyond this crisis. At Student Energy, we have worked for years to develop effective, virtual programming. Here are some lessons learned that may be able to help you support young people as well:

Reduce barriers to skill-building and professional development programs 

Student Energy’s mission is to empower young people to take action on transforming the energy system, and one way we do this is by providing programs and opportunities that build critical soft skills like strategic planning, fundraising, communication, and project management skills, while building a strong global community of mentors, partners and energy experts that they can collaborate with. One of the reasons these programs have been uniquely effective (particularly from a global perspective) is that we develop them with the goal of reducing as many barriers as possible. Many of our programs, like the Student Energy Leaders Fellowship or the Greenpreneurs incubator, come at no cost for participants. These programs are also delivered entirely virtually, allowing young people to participate who are typically left out of these types of opportunities due to travel costs, conference and accommodation fees, and tuition fees.

A digital program helps eliminate costs, but can only be truly effective at building skills if participants receive the same level of one-on-one coaching, community support, personalized team development, and learning opportunities that they would receive in an in-person course. Student Energy has designed a number programs that successfully bring together and support global cohorts of young people. This year, for our inaugural Leaders Fellowship, we have built this community by devoting staff time to frequent one-on-one check-ins, coaching calls, group mentorship webinars from global energy experts, and by providing core energy education content, and robust strategic planning and project management tools that our teams use to stay engaged throughout the 10-month program.

While young people are often thought to be disengaged, in reality they have been highly engaged throughout this program, and we are always surprised how much young people can get out of a conversation with the right mentor to further their initiatives.

How can you support young people right now?

If you have a program or course that is primarily digital, consider offering it for free to young people this year.

If you are a mentor or subject matter expert who would like to contribute your time, Student Energy has a cohort of young people who would like to meet with you. Contact marcus (at) studentenergy.org if you are interested.

Hire young people this summer 

If you are an employer or work for an organization that can create capacity to hire young people on for the summer, now is the time to create those opportunities. It may seem risky to hire people you don’t know to join you in a remote setting, but now is an important time to take that chance.

In addition to offering programs to build young people’s skills, Student Energy has a long history of working with paid student assistants. Each manager works with one student who helps to alleviate the workload on their plate. This program builds a lot of capacity for each of our assistants and frees up tons of management time – it’s a true win win!

As you face capacity or budget constraints this summer, think about hiring students. Students can move projects along while your management team deals with pressing priorities under these constantly changing circumstances.

If your organization hasn’t had experience hiring young people on and doing so quickly, Student Energy can help. Throughout our eleven year history, we have been creating paid positions (both temporary and longer-term) for young people that provide meaningful skill-building and professional development experience while supporting our organization’s long-term goals. We encourage you to also consider how you can attract talented young people from typically disadvantaged or marginalized backgrounds in your outreach recruitment strategy, to ensure that opportunities are spread beyond prospective applicants that already have the necessary professional networks and connections.