Young European Leadership

Young European Leadership

Abbreviation	YEL
Formation	2013
Type	International Non-profit Organisation
Headquarters	Boulevard Anspach, 169, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Official language	English
President	Tillmann Heidelk
Website	http://www.younglead.eu

Young European Leadership (YEL)^[1] is an international non-profit and nonpartisan organization composed of - and founded by - young Europeans. Its core mission is to empower the young generation to shape the future of Europe. Through YEL, young Europeans are encouraged to participate in key decision-making processes and speak-up.

History

Following the Y8 and Y20 Summits in 2011 – previously called G8 & G20 Youth Summits- held in Paris, France, the organization Youth AEGIS has been founded by Radoslav Šoth. Its main goal was to recruit the delegates of the European Union for the next editions of the Y8 and Y20 Summits.

AEGIS was renamed Young European Leadership in 2012. The new association was legally established in Brussels as an AISBL (international non-profit organization) the year after, in February 2013.

Activities

YEL is a platform dedicated to giving young Europeans the chance to influence the decision making process in reference to issues that concern young people in Europe and beyond. Aspiring leaders are brought given the chance to speak up, address their concerns, and provide innovative solutions. Because of this YEL trains young Europeans in leadership skills including public speaking or negotiations skills. YEL is also a platform for networking. Young adults connect with each other but also with global decision-makers by participating to the Y8 and Y20 as well as other major European and international events. In this way, young people are ready to positively and proactively face the European crises and the challenges facing our world.

Young European Council

Young European Leadership organised the Young European Council (YEC) 2014 from 20 to 23 October 2014 in Brussels. It gathered students and young professionals from all over Europe to address three challenges: education to employment, digital revolution and technologies, and sustainable development in cities; exchanging with policy-makers from the European institutions and think-tank experts. Guest speakers included the then-European Commissioner for Climate Action Ms. Connie Hedegaard.^[2]

Youth 8/Youth 20

The Y8 and Y20 Summits^[3] – formerly G8 and G20 Youth Summits^[4] – are international youth conferences gathering young leaders. These Summits are the official youth counterpart to the Group of Eight (G8) and the Group of Twenty (20). The goal of these summits is to allow the young generation to speak up. Young adults are able to provide solutions to the global agenda, promote cross-cultural understanding and build global friendships. The conclusions of the Summits are then passed on to international policy-makers to make the young people heard. This is why the Youth Summits are always scheduled in parallel to the G8 and G20.

Host country	Cities	Summits	Year
Turkey	Istanbul	Y20	2015
Australia	Sydney	Y20	2014
UK and Russia	London and Saint Petersburg	Y8 [5] & Y20 [6]	2013
United States and Mexico.[7]	Washington and Puebla	Y8 & Y20[8]	2012
France	Paris	Y8 & Y20	2011
Canada	Vancouver	Y8 & Y20 [9]	2010
Italy[10]	Milano	Y8 [11]	2009
Japan	Yokohama	Y8[12]	2008
Germany[13]	Berlin	Y8[14][15]	2007
Russia	Saint Petersburg	Y8	2006

Young European Council

The Young European Council^[16][17] is a simulation^[18] of the European Council for young people. The participants are able to get concrete insight into the European decision-making processes. The different national positions on a variety of issues discussed at the European level such as energy, the question of the Euro or EU-bilateral relations, are covered. Through this exercise, the young adults have the chance to impersonate European leadership, gain extensive experience in negotiation, and build strong and multicultural friendships with the other participants.

The role of YEL is not only the practical organization of the Council, but also to prepare delegates and offer support, so the participants are able to make the most of their experience

The participants are also given the chance to discuss with key policy-makers: diplomats and experts and European and International Affairs.

European Development Days

The European Development Days is Europe's forum for international affairs and development cooperation. This initiative is sponsored by the European Commission and its premier goal is to consolidate the general view on development issues and create a unified approach to achieve a more effective international cooperation. During the forum, Heads of State, Nobel Laureates and YEL, together with many other participants are present. The international delegation of YEL to the EDD 2013 blended in with 10 delegates, 6 young women, 4 young men, from Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, and the United States.

YEL Society

The YEL Society was a project to bring together university students as well as young professionals, involved, or prepared and excited to be, in European and global politics. The Young European Leadership Society (YEL Society) believes that young people must be given the chance to design the world they are living in.

Organisation

Board

• President: Tillmann Heidelk
• Secretary General: Diana Carter
• Treasurer: Radoslav Šoth
• Vice-President of Communications: Nadia Tjahja /

European and International Partners

In order to broaden its network and raise visibility on his work, YEL has several partners in Europe and worldwide.

European Partners:

• Future Lab Europe^[19]
• Europe & Me^[20]
• de:Young Initiative on Foreign Affairs and International Relations^[21]
• Bringing Europeans Together Association (BETA)^[22]
• Model European Union^[23]
• Model NATO Youth Summit^[24]

International Partner:

• United Nations Foundation
• The International Diplomatic Engagement Association (The IDEA) ^[25] YEL is the only supranational member of The International Diplomatic Engagement Association (The IDEA).

References