Empowering Youth for a Just Energy Transition in Argentina

An IKI project supports the development of educational materials, further training for teachers and formats for dialogue between young people and experts. 

The IKI’s YouthEnergy project, funded by the IKI Medium Grants programme, aims to foster a sustainable energy future in Argentina by empowering young people as key drivers of a just energy transition. Through a capacity-building approach, the project equips youth with the knowledge and skills necessary to become knowledge carriers, energy innovators and active participants in governance and policy discussions, both locally and internationally.

As part of this effort, one of the main components of YouthEnergy is strengthening the capacities of teachers in technical schools. The project primarily targets teachers in the provinces of Chubut, Neuquén and Mendoza, providing them with modern didactic materials to educate students on climate change, just energy transition and renewable energy solutions.

Milestones Achieved in the First Year

During 2024, the first year of implementation, the project made significant progress in advancing its mission. Some key achievements include:

• Development of Didactic Materials: Comprehensive educational resources on climate change and just energy transition (JET) were created based on research-driven teaching methodologies. These materials provide a structured approach to integrating environmental and energy-related topics into technical education.
• Training of Provincial Referents: The project successfully trained key actors selected by the Ministries of Education in the participating provinces. These provincial referents (two per province) now play a crucial role in supporting the dissemination of knowledge within their respective regional educational systems.
• Capacity Building for Teachers: With the support of provincial referents, more than 60 teachers from approximately 30 technical schools were trained in applying the newly developed educational materials. This effort ensures that students receive high-quality instruction on climate-related issues and energy transition topics.
• Follow-Up and Support: Teachers received continuous support to facilitate the application of didactic methodologies in their classrooms, strengthening their ability to engage students in meaningful discussions about energy sustainability.

Looking ahead – next steps in project work

Building on these achievements, YouthEnergy will continue to operate over the next two years, expanding its impact in several ways. 

The IKI project will work with 24 technical schools to further integrate topics related to alternative energy solutions into the school curriculum, ensuring that students gain a deeper understanding of the energy transition.

It will also provide educational kits on renewable energy technologies and green hydrogen, which are designed to enhance hands-on learning experiences, allowing students to apply theoretical knowledge in experimental settings.  

Promoting discussions about a just energy transition: young people in dialogue with experts

In addition to the work with technical schools, the YouthEnergy project will organise different spaces to promote the participation of youth organisations in debates on a just energy transition in Argentina.

As a first step, a series of webinars will allow youth leaders to discuss the specific challenges and opportunities for a just energy transition in Argentina with national experts. The findings from these online exchanges will form the basis for organising three provincial forums, where representatives of youth organisations will have the opportunity to present and discuss their concerns and visions for the energy transition with the relevant provincial authorities. 

An additional forum will be organised in order to bring the results of the provincial fora into discussions with authorities at national level. The project will also support the participation of two youth leaders in international debates at COP30.

By improving the education of technical school students on climate change and a just energy transition, and by opening spaces to bring the voices of youth leaders into relevant policy debates, YouthEnergy is contributing to a more informed, engaged and proactive generation ready to lead Argentina’s transition to a sustainable energy future.

About IKI Medium Grants 

With the IKI Medium Grants programme, which is implemented by Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH, the German government funds projects for climate action and biodiversity conservation that specifically involve smaller civil society actors in developing and emerging countries.

Click here for all IMG details 

Priority field of action: Promoting the energy transition