Young European Security Conference

The Young European Security Conference (YESC) is a youth-focused conference series on European and international security policy, held in Berlin, Germany. It brings together several hundred young people from across Europe to discuss contemporary security challenges, develop policy proposals and engage in dialogue with experts from politics, academia and civil society. The initiative is organised by the Schwarzkopf Foundation Young Europe in cooperation with the non‑profit Hertie Foundation and is planned as a multi‑year project running until 2027.

History

The conference was launched as a new security policy education format in 2025. The first Young European Security Conference took place from 27 to 28 February 2025 at Urania Berlin and gathered around 200 young participants from across Europe. According to the organisers, the initiative was created against the backdrop of increasing salience of international conflicts and security issues, with the aim of offering a structured space for youth engagement in security policy debates.

The inaugural edition combined plenary discussions with working groups on different thematic areas, including regional security, technology, environmental security, transatlantic relations, disinformation, democracy and societal resilience. The conference concluded with a ceremonial closing debate in Berlin's Red City Hall (Rotes Rathaus), where participants presented their recommendations to high‑level guests from politics and expert communities.

A second conference is scheduled for 26 to 27 February 2026 in Berlin. It again aims to convene around 200 young people from across Europe, with the organisers presenting it as a continuation and expansion of the 2025 format.

Aims and concept

The Young European Security Conference is designed as a security policy education project. Its stated goals include enabling young people to engage with different dimensions of security policy, strengthening democratic participation and making youth perspectives more visible in public and expert debates on European and international security.

The organisers frame the conference as a response to the perception that young people's views on security policy are often insufficiently considered in decision‑making processes. The project therefore seeks to combine skills development in areas such as policy analysis and debate with opportunities for direct exchange between youth participants and established experts and officials.

Format and programme

The conference typically combines several programme elements:

• Working groups: Participants are assigned to thematic working groups that focus on specific security policy issues. In 2025, these included topics such as technology and cybersecurity, environmental and climate‑related security, transatlantic relations, and democracy and resilience. For 2026, the programme foresees separate “Intro” and “Advanced” levels to accommodate differing prior knowledge, with topics ranging from European security architecture and climate‑security links to arms control, cyber conflicts, economic security and health security.
• Interactive formats: In addition to working groups, the programme includes interactive elements such as World Café sessions, fishbowl discussions and expert dialogues intended to facilitate exchange between participants and invited speakers.
• Plenary sessions: The conference opens and closes with plenary discussions at which broader themes are introduced and the results of working groups are presented and debated with high‑ranking guests and practitioners.

The conference language is English. No specialist prior knowledge in security policy is formally required, particularly for introductory tracks.