Weekly Zoom Panel Series
10–12 recorded episodes covering renewable energy, sustainability, and environmental justice.
View PlaylistPartner Program: End Fossil Occupy Uganda × Germany
Youth Power for a Sustainable Future
Educating and empowering youth on renewable energy, sustainability, environmental justice, and green careers through recorded content and youth-led capstone projects.
Program Overview
Renewable energy learning, justice-centered leadership, and youth action.
Program Goal
Educate and empower youth on renewable energy, sustainability, environmental justice (EJ), advocacy, and green careers; produce high-quality recorded content; catalyze youth-led capstone projects.
Target Participation
- Core cohort: 25 youth (active participants building capstones)
- Live Zoom audience: 60–120 typical attendance target
- In-person audience: 30–40 max (recording days)
- Capstone projects: 5 teams of ~5 youth; 5 final pitches
Primary Outputs
Mar–May 2026
10–12
Recorded Zoom Panel Episodes (weekly series)
3–4
In-person Recorded Interviews/Panels in Uganda
1
Capstone Pitch Event (recorded)
5
Project Concepts Showcased
Germany Add-on (May/June 2026)
- 1–2 online trainings by German professors (recorded)
- 1 physical workshop in Germany led by German partners (Uganda cohort joins remotely unless travel is sponsored)
- Collaborative content package documenting partnership impact
Success Metrics
Success Metrics & Targets
Delivery
- ≥10 Zoom sessions completed
- 3–4 in-person recordings completed
- Capstone pitch event completed
Reach
- Average live attendance: 60–120
- YouTube views per episode: 300–1,000 within 30 days
- Organic growth expected over time
Inclusion & Engagement
- Core cohort meets inclusion targets (tracked ethically/voluntarily)
- ≥70% core cohort completion
- 5 capstone pitches presented
Quality
- All published videos captioned
- Clear, professional audio
- Consistent branding throughout
Timeline
Program Phases & Timeline
1
Pre-production
Jan–Feb 2026
Purpose: Lock speakers, calendar, production system, safeguarding and inclusion setup.
Key deliverables:
- Final calendar + speaker tracker
- Production SOPs + templates
- Webpage live + registration links
- Core cohort selected and onboarded
2
Delivery
Mar–May 2026
Purpose: Deliver weekly Zoom sessions, produce and publish media, guide capstones.
Key deliverables:
- Weekly Zoom videos + highlight clips
- 3–4 Uganda in-person recordings
- Capstone draft concepts + final pitches
3
Post-production & Closeout
June 2026
Purpose: Finalize reporting, publish capstone showcase, partner debrief.
Key deliverables:
- Final M&E report + lessons learned
- Capstone project briefs (5 one-pagers)
- Sustainability plan + next steps
4
Germany Add-on
May/June 2026
Purpose: Deepen technical learning, strengthen partnerships, co-produce content.
Key deliverables:
- 1–2 recorded masterclasses
- Workshop recap video
- Partner testimonials + interviews
Video Content Hub
Video Content Hub
Access our complete library of weekly panel episodes, in-person interviews, and capstone pitch recordings. All content is available on our YouTube channel with captions and resources.
Uganda In-Person Interviews
Story-driven interviews with youth leaders, experts, and community voices (3–4 full episodes + shorts).
Explore InterviewsCapstone Pitch Event
Live recording of 5 youth-led project pitches with Q&A and expert panel feedback.
Watch EventShort-Form Content Pack
Highlights and shorts (30–60 seconds) from each session, perfect for social media.
View ShortsGermany Masterclass Series
1–2 recorded online trainings by German professors on advanced renewable energy and circular economy.
Access MasterclassesGermany Workshop Recap
Live-streamed segments and recap video documenting the Germany-Uganda collaboration and participant insights.
View RecapExpert Conversations
Expert Conversations & Key Themes
Dive into in-depth conversations with leading voices on environmental justice, renewable energy, and community-led climate solutions.
Joan — Environmental Justice & Community Consent
Environmental justice reminds us that the climate crisis is not just about carbon — it is about people, power, and who has historically been asked to bear the cost of progress.
Joan explores critical questions: Which communities bear the heaviest energy burdens, and how is that measured? How do siting, air quality, heat islands, and energy insecurity intersect with race, class, and gender? What does meaningful community consent and benefit-sharing look like in practice?
Her insights highlight real case studies—including South Africa's Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP)—where intentional intervention in project design shifted who owns, who benefits, and who decides. The conversation underscores that until we address questions of power and equity alongside our technical solutions, we will keep building a green future on an unjust foundation.
Key themes: Energy burden & measurement · Siting injustice · Air quality & heat islands · Gender & biomass energy poverty · Community ownership models · Developer lifecycle responsibility · Data ethics & community control · Green gentrification · Policy tools for correcting historic harms.
Patrick — Renewable Energy Technology & Design
Patrick provides technical depth on photovoltaic (PV) systems, system design choices, and resilience strategies for households and communities seeking to adopt solar energy.
Topics covered include: How PV cells convert sunlight to electricity and what factors affect daily output · Rooftop vs. ground-mount systems: when each is appropriate and how storage and inverters factor in · Key incentives and tariffs in Uganda: net metering, feed-in tariffs, and time-of-use rates · Typical costs, payback periods, and maintenance needs for households · Design choices that improve resilience during outages (islanding, backup circuits) · Solutions for renters and low-income households (PAYGo solar home systems) · Common myths about solar (orientation, cleaning, cloudy climates) · End-of-life: reuse and recycling pathways for modules and batteries.
Drawing on NREL research, IEA-PVPS data, and Uganda's ERA (Energy Regulatory Authority) tariff framework, Patrick's conversation grounds technical knowledge in local context and affordability.
Key themes: PV fundamentals · System design & storage · Incentives & tariffs in Uganda · Payback analysis · Resilience & backup systems · Affordability & access · Maintenance & performance optimization · Recycling & circular economy.
Ali (End Fossil Occupy Uganda) — Community Energy & Climate Activism
Ali brings lived experience from End Fossil Occupy Uganda, centering voices of rural women, low-income communities, and youth facing energy poverty and climate injustice in Uganda.
The conversation explores: Which communities bear the heaviest energy burdens in Uganda (women in rural areas collecting firewood, low-income urban households paying disproportionately for energy) · How energy poverty intersects with pollution, health, and gender · Real examples of policy gaps in Uganda's 2007 energy policy and the role of youth in advocacy · Lessons from East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline communities on land displacement and environmental risk · The importance of subsidizing clean cooking stoves and extending grid systems to rural areas · What meaningful community consultation looks like (addressing the shortcomings of the South African pipeline consultation).
Ali emphasizes that a just energy transition requires policy makers to work directly with communities, document on-ground data, and ensure that renewable energy projects center community benefit, informed consent, and genuine partnership rather than extraction.
Key themes: Energy poverty in rural Uganda · Women & biomass burden · Energy metrics & SDG7 · Community organizing & climate activism · Forest protection & wetlands conservation · Community-led data collection · Trust-building with researchers & NGOs · Policy advocacy for just transition · Solidarity in climate justice.
Full Interview Transcripts & Resources
Complete transcripts, timestamps, discussion questions, and downloadable resource guides are available for each interview. Use these materials for classroom facilitation, community education, or personal study.
Access Full ResourcesParticipant Voices
Participant Voices & Impact Stories
Hear directly from core cohort members, panelists, and community partners about what they learned and how they're applying it.
This program helped me understand that renewable energy is not just a technical solution—it's about justice and who gets to benefit. I'm now advocating in my community for solar subsidies for cooking stoves.
The capstone project gave me hands-on experience designing a renewable energy solution. I've already connected with two local NGOs interested in piloting our concept.
The expert interviews showed me that community consent is not optional—it's foundational. I'm bringing these lessons back to my university's energy policy discussions.
Collaborating with Rolfes SDG Academy gave our German students direct connection to real climate activism in Uganda. It's transformed how they think about global responsibility.
Share Your Story
Have you participated in YPFSF or been impacted by the program? We'd love to hear your story. Submit a short video, written reflection, or photo to be featured on our website.
Submit Your StoryCapstone Showcase
Youth-Led Capstone Showcase
Five teams of youth leaders designed and pitched renewable energy and climate justice solutions. Here are the concepts advancing to implementation phase.
Team 1
Solar Community Mini-Grids for Rural Electrification
Design a sustainable model for community-owned solar mini-grids that prioritize affordable energy access and local job creation in rural Uganda.
View Project Brief →Team 2
Clean Cooking Stoves & Biomass Transition
Advocacy campaign + financing toolkit for transitioning low-income households from firewood to clean cooking technologies with community trust governance.
View Project Brief →Team 3
Youth Energy Workforce Development Hub
Training and job-placement program connecting youth (18–25) to careers in solar installation, grid operation, and energy auditing across East Africa.
View Project Brief →Team 4
Environmental Justice Data Dashboard
Community-led pollution and health impact monitoring platform with accessible data visualization to support local advocacy and policy engagement.
View Project Brief →Team 5
Community Benefit Agreement Toolkit
Legal and facilitation resources to help communities negotiate fair benefit-sharing agreements with energy developers before project approval.
View Project Brief →Pitch Event Recording
Watch the full capstone pitch event featuring all 5 teams presenting to a panel of energy experts, policy makers, and partner representatives. (Video link coming soon)
Watch Pitch EventPartners
Our Partners
This program is a collaborative effort bringing together youth leaders, climate activists, academic institutions, and renewable energy advocates across Uganda and Germany.
End Fossil Occupy Uganda
Community mobilization, participant recruitment, in-person recording coordination, and on-ground environmental justice advocacy.
German University Partners
Expert panelists, online masterclasses, workshop facilitation, and co-learning with German students.
Rolfes SDG Academy
Program coordination, curriculum design, video production, and institutional hosting.
Why This Collaboration Matters
- Bridges Global North and Global South perspectives on energy justice
- Amplifies youth voices in international climate conversations
- Grounds theory in lived experience and on-ground activism
- Creates pathways for international learning and partnership
- Produces high-quality, accessible educational content
- Catalyzes youth-led projects with real community impact
Join
Ready to Join the Movement?
Apply to join the YPFSF core cohort, register for live Zoom sessions, or access all recorded content.