Events are tailored each season to provide teams with the most up-to-date knowledge and experiences in the field of sustainable innovation!
Fall Summit
The annual YES! Fall Summit brings students together from across the state in a conference-like structure offering opportunities to learn from experts in varying fields. Students enjoy sharing project ideas and participating in fun hands-on activities that will kick-start their project planning ideas and spark excitement for the upcoming YES! season!
Winter Workshops
The intent of our workshops is to provide a learning experience to our YES! students that relates to the project that they are interested in doing. Typically experts are brought in to present information and hands-on activities or students tour an organization or business.
2018-2019 Winter Workshops included:
West Central Region
- February 20 at St. John’s University: Water Quality and Invasive Species
- February 26 at Blattner Energy: Spare a Watt, Save a Lot
- March 5 in Spicer: Plant Your Roots
Southern Region
- January 23 at Ney Nature Center: Local Foods for a Changing World
- February 13 at Ney Nature Center: Water Quality and Prairie Restoration
- February 27 at the Sleepy Eye Community Center: Energy Efficiency
- March 20 at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter: Say “YES!” to Healthy Soil = Healthy Lives
Northwest Region
- February 15 and March 8 at Parkers Prairie High School: Go Native and Help Water Quality
- March 5 at Northland Arboretum: Rain Gardens, Water Conservation & Climate Change
Northeast Region
- February 6 at Lake Superior College: Supermileage Vehicles
- February 22 in Duluth: Alternative Energy and Environmental Stewardship
- February 26 at Lake Country Power: Electricity Generation and Usage
Regional Competition
This competition provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate what they learned, how they worked as a team, and the impact they had on their community during the year. Judges interview the teams, review their final report, and determine the top performers in the region. Monetary prize awards are given to the top teams and the highest scoring team advances to the statewide competition.
Statewide Competition
This is a competition among the regional winners. The YES! State Champion is announced at the MN Twin’s pre-game show on home plate at Target Field!
Summer Kayaking
YES! students are given the opportunity to kayak local bodies of water with their coordinator. Taking chemical, physical, and biological readings to determine water quality and going on kayak adventures to look for aquatic invasive species (AIS) are some of the many options for summer projects.
“The sessions at the Fall Summit really influence how the students approach projects such as using SMART goals and reaching out to community folks for support.”
–Marty Bratsch (Royalton YES! Coach)
