WILMINGTON — The sixth annual Delaware Youth Environmental Summit (YES!) will be held Feb. 28 at Chase Center on the Riverfront.

The summit is free for Delaware high school students and educator/advisors to school teams, including breakfast and lunch.

Early Registration is open through Feb. 7 at DelawareYES.org. Early registrants (students and teachers) are entered to win $100 gift card drawings. Students must be registered by their team teacher/advisor as a team. Schools are limited to 25 students per team. Additional students may be registered after Feb. 7, space permitting.

Registration closes on Feb. 21 or when maximum capacity is reached, whichever comes first. Attendance is limited.

Planned by a diverse team of student leaders, YES! informs and inspires youth-led action and environmental leadership through keynote speakers, breakout workshops, an exhibitors' hall of nonprofits and agencies involved in various aspects of environmental protection.

In 2024, the fifth annual YES! was attended by a sold-out crowd of more than 500 high school students from 34 high schools representing all three counties.

YES! was created by a coalition of representatives, including educators at Delaware high schools, nonprofit environmental organizations, and public agencies with the goal of providing the opportunity for teens to meet, learn, and become more deeply engaged in environmental issues.

In past years, students’ experiences at YES! have inspired several school campuses to initiate green action plans, focusing on reducing food waste and increasing sustainability within their local communities.

Funds are available to support charter transportation costs for teams to get to and from YES!

Eesha Sagiraju, lead student coordinator for the 2025 YES! and a senior at the Charter School of Wilmington, said, “YES! is more than just a summit— it's a movement driven by passionate young leaders who believe in the power of collective action. At YES!, we don’t just talk about environmental change. We make it happen.”

Guest speakers confirmed include:

• Heather White, author of “Eco-Anxiety: Saving Our Sanity, Our Kids and Our Future,” and founder of OneGreenThing, a nonprofit that tackles eco-anxiety through joyful daily action, leading to culture change for policy solutions. Ms. White is a nationally recognized environmental policy expert with extensive experience leading and advising non-profits, including increasing organizational performance, guiding strategic planning, and directing innovative fundraising and advocacy campaigns. She writes about Gen Z and climate anxiety.
• Adam Schellhammer, American Rivers. Mr. Schellhammer is a landscape restoration and water quality expert, focused on improving watersheds and building resilience in vulnerable communities. With experience across the Mid-Atlantic and New Zealand, Mr. Schellhammer has led impactful projects to safeguard water resources. Now with American Rivers, he collaborates with diverse groups to reconnect people with nature.
• Delaware Governor Elect Matt Meyer
• DNREC Greg Patterson (nominated, invited)

Workshop topics are Pathways to Green Schools, solar and wind energy, electric vehicles, campus food waste reduction, plastic pollution, corporate sustainability, environmental justice, the state climate action plan, sea level rise and climate resiliency, environmental advocacy, green college tracks and careers, film screenings and discussions.

For more information, visit delawareyes.org and connect on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.