Our events provide students with the most up-to-date knowledge and experiences in the field of sustainable innovation! Recognition events during the spring competition celebrate and reward teams for outstanding projects.
Fall Summit
We kick off our YES season with the annual Fall Summit. Students from around the state gather for a day of team-building and interactive educational sessions led by local experts. Participants enjoy sharing project ideas and doing fun hands-on activities that help teams jump-start planning for their projects and spark excitement for the upcoming YES season!
Winter Workshops
YES workshops provide a unique learning experience with topics related to projects the students are pursuing. Experts share their knowledge and lead hands-on activities. Workshops often feature behind-the-scenes tours at a relevant organization or business.
2023-24 YES Workshops
Water Protection and Indigenous Leadership Workshop
When: Wednesday, January 10, 2024, from 12:00 to 3:15 pm
Where: Harbor City International School – Duluth, Minnesota
What: Learn from Waankam: People of the Estuary about how to recognize and protect the “rights of nature”. Waankam: People of the Estuary is “a Duluth citizen initiative for protecting the environment, specifically the St.Louis River and the Estuary, by imbuing the ecosystem with the same legal rights that are recognized for people.”
Virtual Workshops
Our virtual workshops are accessible to YES students statewide regardless of whether they are sitting together in a classroom or joining individually from home. Hosted on Zoom, all YES virtual events are recorded so that YES teams can watch them anytime. Similar to in-person workshops, virtual workshops tap into our network of experts who present and lead activities for topics related to projects the students are pursuing.
2023-24 YES Virtual Workshops
Recording: https://youtu.be/WEJz5Z2KOWM When: Thursday, January 11, 2024, from 12:00 to 12:50 pm
Where: Virtual (Workshop will be recorded for YES Teams that are unable to attend live)
What: Learn how Evergreen Collective makes sustainability simple with their values of low waste, fair labor and transparency.
Who: Taylor Hall, Founder of Evergreen Collective
Website: https://ecoevergreen.co/
Climate Change Photography Workshop with Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Recording: https://youtu.be/o4c1_PUCmys When: Friday, January 19, 2024, from 9:00 am – 9:50 am
Where: Virtual (Workshop will be recorded for YES Teams that are unable to attend live)
What: Learn how to see and capture dynamic photographs that communicate the current effects of climate change.
Who: Olaf Kuhlke, the Professor and Chair of Arts Entrepreneurship at Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Recording: https://youtu.be/8ZT4_h9fWEE When: Monday, April 22, 2024, from 9:00 am – 11:30 am
Where: Mankato East High School
What: Learn about local, clean energy!
Who: Bryn Shank, Outreach and Engagement Representative at Cooperative Energy Futures
Spring Showcase
We close our YES season with the annual Spring Showcase. Students from around the state gather for a day of celebration and relationship building; students will not only be recognized for their accomplishments, but have the opportunity to meet other YES students, green career professionals and supporters.
