Youth Environmental Advocacy Fellowship (YEAF)
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The Youth Environmental Advocacy Fellowship (YEAF) is a leadership program designed to equip young people with the tools to become strong environmental advocates. By combining workshops, mentorship, and project development, YEAF has empowered participants to develop advocacy skills, explore solutions to local challenges, and build networks with like-minded peers. Beyond training, the fellowship has fostered long-term impact by encouraging youth to design community-centric initiatives that strengthen community engagement and climate action.
Since its launch, the YEAF has evolved into a signature initiative that amplifies youth voices and action in sustainability. Each year, the fellowship explores critical environmental themes that reflect the challenges and innovations shaping our planet. The 2023 fellowship examined environmental health disparities and Indigenous environmental leadership, while the 2024 program expanded globally, guiding participants through themes such as energy resources, biodiversity, land use and agriculture, technological innovation, and the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in sustainability. The 2025 fellowship theme, If Nature Could Talk: What Would It Say?, encouraged participants to think creatively about the human-nature relationship and explore interdisciplinary approaches to environmental advocacy. Through expert-led workshops, mentorship, and collaborative projects, fellows across all years (2023-2025) have developed the knowledge, leadership, and advocacy skills to address environmental issues within their own communities. As the program continues to grow, it remains dedicated to equipping youth with the tools, confidence, and networks to lead meaningful climate action and create lasting change on both local and global scales.
Our Impact
3
Cohorts of YEAF Hosted
25+
Countries Reached
452+
Applicants
35
Guest Speakers
217+
Fellows
32
Workshops
Testimonials: Here Is What Our Community Has To Say...
“I really enjoyed my experience at the HNP Fellowship this year. Through this fellowship, I learned various skills and concepts from the guest speakers at workshops and research reports. I will implement what I have learned through this fellowship in my daily life by sharing my experiences and what I learned with friends and families, tell others about environmental problems that I researched, and by being a role model to youth in my community toward environmental stewardship.” - Aleena Sarikaya (Youth Environmental Advocacy Fellowship 2025 Participant)
“My favorite part was interacting with other people around the world and listening about their lived experiences with how the climate is changing and how it is affecting their part of the world. I think this type of connection is really important on so many levels I would have never even spoken to these people if it were not for this experience. Everybody is a lot closer then we think we are.” - Ritika (Youth Environmental Advocacy Fellowship 2025 Participant)
I came in thinking I knew a decent amount of knowledge about climate change and our environment but I soon found out I only knew the surface level. Ever since the internship, I’ve seen things a lot more differently. I cut down on my shopping and used more renewable options. - Anonymous (Youth Environmental Advocacy Fellowship 2024 Participant)