The Sustainable Engagement Fund Report 2025 is out!
We present to you the Sustainable Engagement Fund Report 2025, covering the work under our Climate Youth Action Plan.
Climate Youth Action Plan
The European Youth Parliament project was implemented from 2022 until 2025 aiming to encourage young people across Europe to explore, discuss, and ultimately bring about climate action within their existing engagement with the EYP and with their local and national communities.
We faciltitated members of the EYP connecting and reflecting on climate and energy issues in relation to their own civil society work. This was done through the creation of a space to discuss, debate and prototype ideas for a sustainable Europe that was ultimately presented to and discussed with decision-makers.
This project continued the European Youth Parliament’s long-standing partnership with the E.ON Foundation.
Activities
Climate Youth Action Plan Idea Competition
The Climate Youth Action Plan (CYAP) Idea Competition, launched by the European Youth Parliament (EYP) in collaboration with the E.ON Foundation and Thinkubator, continued to foster youth-led innovation for sustainability. Building on its initial success in 2024, the competition completed its first full cycle in May 2025, with promising results that set the stage for deeper integration of sustainability across the EYP network.
After receiving 14 innovative project proposals, a jury and community vote selected four winning teams to pilot their ideas throughout spring 2025. Each project addressed critical sustainability challenges aligned with key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on sustainable cities, responsible consumption, and climate action.
The winning projects included:
Green Ambassadors Initiative
Led by Anna Hakobyan, Greta Aghinyan, and Viktorya Mamyan, this project embedded sustainability leadership directly into EYP events by introducing a dedicated Green Ambassador role. These ambassadors implemented eco-friendly practices at sessions, including calculating carbon footprints, facilitating vegetarian catering, arranging food donations, and leading educational workshops. Piloted at a session in Subotica, Serbia, the initiative inspired strong participant interest in replicating the model across future events.
Sustainable Policy Incubator
Spearheaded by Elvira Bello Hernández, this project laid the groundwork for a long-term policy incubator within EYP to design and promote climate-conscious operational practices. Piloted in Madrid, Spain, the incubator hosted workshops and collaborative sessions to develop practical sustainability guidelines, with mentorship support from sustainability consultant Edisona Franca.
Connecting Through Sustainability
Led by Efe Kayra Soylu and piloted in Winterthur, Switzerland, this initiative brought participants into direct contact with local environmental organisations such as MYBLUEPLANET. Through workshops, excursions, and first-hand exchanges with community leaders, participants explored sustainability in a local context, strengthening ties between EYP sessions and grassroots climate action.
YouthOnTrack
Developed by Julius Lajtha, Leonie Tatzberger, Marvin Huber, and Tuukka Rytkonen, YouthOnTrack tackled one of EYP’s largest sustainability challenges: travel-related carbon emissions. Piloting sessions in Łódź, Poland, and Paris, France, the team promoted train travel as a sustainable alternative to air travel and partnered with Eurail to explore dedicated travel pass options for EYP volunteers. The project combined surveys, focus groups, travel guides, and interactive workshops, receiving positive feedback from participants and laying foundations for ongoing collaboration with rail partners.
Each team benefited from the support of experienced alumni mentors, who provided expertise in areas such as climate policy, sustainability consulting, and community engagement. The pilot phase allowed teams to test and refine their ideas, ensuring practicality and adaptability for broader implementation.
The project cycle culminated with a vibrant closing event, Sips for Sustainability, held in Brussels in April 2025. Participants, mentors, and external stakeholders gathered to share results, exchange insights, and celebrate the collective progress made toward embedding sustainability within EYP.
Looking Forward
Building on the momentum generated by these pilots, EYP’s Governing Body established a dedicated task force to explore the scaling and long-term integration of these initiatives across the network. The CYAP Idea Competition not only delivered concrete tools for reducing EYP’s environmental footprint but also fostered a new generation of youth sustainability leaders poised to drive lasting change within the organisation and beyond.
Rebuild Ukraine Ambassadors Programme
The Rebuild Ukraine Ambassadors programme aims to empower young voices in shaping a sustainable and inclusive vision for Ukraine’s post-war recovery, with a strong focus on economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Following the success of the first Rebuild Ukraine Lab in 2023, the 2024 edition took place in Berlin and brought together a diverse group of young Europeans—half from Ukraine—to co-develop proposals across five key areas: urbanisation, cultural heritage, cybersecurity, education, and energy security.
In the spring of 2025, the programme published “A Sustainable Tomorrow: Youth Visions for Rebuilding Ukraine“, presented at various public events in Brussels, Berlin and Strasbourg as well as in briefing where Ambassadors engaged directly with EU, NATO, and civil society leaders. With its third cycle underway, including a next edition of the Rebuild Ukraine Lab in Brașov, Romania and a study trip to Lviv, Ukraine, and supported by international partners, the programme continues to foster youth leadership and cross-border collaboration for Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction.
Learn more here!
Sustainable Engagement Fund
The Sustainable Engagement Fund (SEF) was a tool to empower EYP National Committees (NCs) to embed sustainability into their activities, supporting innovative, climate-friendly projects across Europe. As a core part of the Climate Youth Action Plan, the SEF enabled young people to develop and implement practical solutions that lower the carbon footprint of EYP activities, foster long-term behaviour change, and create replicable models for sustainable youth events.
Between December 2022 and May 2025, the SEF successfully supported 45 projects across five funding rounds, distributing a total of €45,925 to 26 National Committees. Each round of funding prioritized projects that demonstrated long-term impact, innovation, community engagement, and replicability across the EYP network.
Highlights from Recent SEF Projects
Greener Travel Practices
EYP France’s project at Angers 2023 incentivised rail and coach travel for session participants, resulting in an estimated savings of 1.14 tonnes of CO₂ and setting a precedent for travel-related sustainability across the network. Inspired by this, EYP United Kingdom launched a pilot to develop a national framework for green travel reimbursements and carbon tracking, laying the groundwork for a systemic shift in sustainable volunteer travel practices.
Zero-Waste and Low-Carbon Event Models
Several projects focused on reducing material footprints and promoting sustainable consumption. EYP Portugal permanently adopted reusable office supplies following their Bragança 2023 session. EYP Romania’s Ploiești 2024 session combined vegetarian catering, reusable materials, and compostable tableware, directly engaging 140 participants in sustainable practices. EYP Spain’s Madrid 2025 session tested a comprehensive low-carbon model incorporating paperless operations, carbon offsetting, electric transportation, and locally sourced catering.
Environmental Education and Community Engagement
EYP Armenia implemented two impactful projects: the Sevan 2024 session, which engaged young people in biodiversity awareness and waste reduction; and the Aparan 2024 session, which introduced solar-powered venues, strengthened partnerships with local NGOs, and expanded environmental education efforts into new regions.
Key Learnings Across Projects
• Early, clear communication is crucial to secure participation in sustainable practices, especially for greener travel options.
• Simple, user-tested solutions often outperform more complex alternatives when it comes to reusable materials and waste reduction.
• Early engagement with partners, caterers, and venues reduces logistical risks and ensures alignment on sustainability goals.
• Consistent carbon tracking, feedback collection, and evaluation turn pilot projects into long-term policy shifts.
A Growing Culture of Sustainability within EYP
The projects supported by the SEF demonstrated that sustainability can be effectively integrated into youth-led civic engagement, producing both immediate and lasting impact. Many of the initiatives supported through SEF funding have since become permanent features of NC operations, influencing the organisational culture and spreading best practices across the wider EYP network.
With growing interest in sustainable event models, the SEF also provided an important platform for sharing innovations between National Committees, amplifying the reach and replicability of successful approaches.
Looking Forward
As the EYP network continues to embed sustainability at the heart of its work, the EYP remains committed to expanding support for initiatives like the Sustainable Engagement Fund. By enabling National Committees to experiment, test, and refine climate-friendly practices, the SEF fosterred a new generation of youth leaders equipped to lead the transition toward a more sustainable future.
Sustainable Engagement Fund Call 2024
Young European Multipliers for Climate Action
The Young European Multipliers for Climate Action (YEMCA) were a group of 10 young Europeans dedicated to creating visibility for young perspectives on key climate and energy issues from 2023 to 2024. The YEMCA used social media, EYP events, and other channels to increase the visibility of young opinions from across Europe on energy transition and climate action. The project aimed to address the underrepresentation of youth in the discourse on climate and energy policy by presenting an array of perspectives to decision-makers, with a view of reaching incoming Members of the European Parliament in 2024 and to mobilise first-time voters from the EYP network to vote in the European elections 2024.
