Poweryouth: engaging the youth in the energy transition

POWERYOUTH has received €1.5 million in funding from the LIFE programme and will provide a participatory democracy platform for young people to express their opinions, as well as a tool to support collective decision-making and a tool to promote innovative business models and funding schemes.

The project builds on AdEPorto’s experience from the ASPRELA +Sustentável – a project funded by the EEA Grants which aims to help the city of Porto mitigate climate change and achieve carbon neutrality. To this end, a Living Lab – a space for testing innovative services and technologies – is being developed in Asprela, promoting decarbonisation in several areas: circular economy, sustainable urban mobility, energy, buildings, literacy and community participation.

With a population of 30,000, Asprela brings together around 60,000 people every day. The area boasts seven universities, three primary schools, 82 business incubators, 53 national and international research centres, a central hospital (S. João), 121 technology companies and innovation centres, and several service buildings. In Asprela, through POWERYOUTH, it will be possible to improve renewable energy communities with youth participation.

By the end of the project, a comprehensive and easily replicable capacity building programme will be in place to train young people in green energy skills and promote their participation in energy communities, creating a strong cohort of Youth Energy Community Leaders. In addition, POWERYOUTH will actively engage youth organisations and young leaders in energy and sustainability (through the participation of YES-EUROPE and its local offices across the European Union as well as local authorities and policy makers (through the participation of the ALDA network) to trigger the replication of the Energy Communities approach.

This best practice is extracted from our publication ‘Sustainable Regions in Action‘. Discover more best practices here!