World Student Community for Sustainable Development

The YES course is a pioneering concept in education for sustainable development for university students all around the world. Each two week course brings together a multicultural and multidisciplinary group of 40 participants to discuss the challenges of sustainable development in a unique setting. The  large  diversity  of  cultures,  languages  and disciplines  and  the  opportunity  to  work  together  with  other  outstanding  students  and esteemed international faculty make the YES environment an enriching and unforgettable learning experience.

More information on the course and the faculty involved is available in the YES brochure:

YES Courses General Information Movie

Over the last 10 years the following courses have been held around the world:
YES Braunwald, Switzerland / July and August, 2001 – 2009
15 courses in partnership with AGS, MIT, University of Tokyo, ETH Zurich and Chalmers University

YES Latin America, Costa Rica / September 2005
1 course in partnership with INCAE Business School and CATIE

YES Central and Eastern Europe, Slovakia and Austria / September 2006 – 2008
3 courses in partnership with the Technical University of Vienna

YES Africa, Kenya / November 2007
1 course in partnership with UNEP

YES Japan / March 2007 – 2009
3 courses in partnership with Hosei University

More information on the international alumni from the YES program is available at:   www.yesalumni.ethz.ch

YES Alumni Special Courses

In  recent  years  a  focus has  been  placed  on  further  leveraging  the   international network of high potential alumni  students  that emerge  from  the YES  training programs.   At  the end of 2007 an online social networking platform was launched to facilitate online interaction and knowledge  sharing  among  the  group  for  issues  related  to  sustainable  development.    The next milestone was to begin hosting specialized follow up courses for YES Alumni students.

The goal of such courses is  to  provide  opportunities  for  continued  learning  that  builds  on the valuable  knowledge  and  skills  gained  in  the  YES  course  and  the  individual  experiences  the participants have had  since attending  the  course.   The  concept was  to hold  courses  focusing on one  concrete  topic  while  providing  training  in  valuable  skills  such  as  project  development  and management, fundraising, cross cultural communication and working in multidisciplinary teams.

The  first  of  these  Alumni  courses was  launched  in November  2008 in the  Sinai  desert  in Egypt,  on the topic of “Water and Sustainability”.  Hosted in partnership with the Wadi Environmental Science Center (WESC),  an Egyptian NGO, the program brought together 17 YES Alumni to live and learn together in a Bedouin Eco-lodge in the middle of the Sinai Desert. The course included workshops, group work, field trips, work with the local community and project development. Further programs on diverse topics are planned for the future, so check this page for the newest course offerings.

Course Offerings – Apply Now!

The following applications for courses are now open:

Youth Encounter on Sustainability (YES)
Braunwald, Switzerland
Course I:    4th June – 21st June 2010
Course II:  2nd July – 19th July 2010

Application Deadline:
Course I:   27th March 2010
Course II:  10th Apirl 2010

Join us at YES at the unique settings the Swiss Alpine resort Braunwald

Details on the course and how to apply are available in the flyer:
YES Braunwald Switzerland 2010

The application form can be downloaded here:
YES Braunwald Switzerland 2010 Application form

The YES  2009/2010 courses are made possible through the kind support of:

AVINA Stiftung

HOSEI University

UBS Stiftung für Soziales und Ausbildung

Stiftung Drittes Millenium

Kanton Glarus

Kontaktgruppe für Forschungsfragen – KGF (Ciba, Roche, Novartis, Merck Serono and Syngenta)