The YEC was established in November 1997 by the Minister for Education and Children’s Services and the Minister for Environment and Conservation following a Student Forum. Since then, the YEC has conducted workshops for young people to engage them in environmental actions and has promoted the powerful voice of young people in government, non-government and community institutions. The YEC has contributed to many conferences and forums and supported youth involvement in sustainability.

Some of the things the YEC has achieved in the past….

• The YEC has created a Community Plan which aims to provide help to students to establish and maintain environmental projects.
• The YEC ran a number of Environmental Action workshops in regional and metropolitan areas where YEC members worked with students to help them develop the skills necessary to implement their own environmental project.
  
• The YEC worked closely with educators to comment and advise on environmental education initiatives and methodology.
  
• The YEC met with the Minister for Environment and Heritage and the Minister for Education and Children’s Services regularly to inform them of the environmental interests and concerns of young people.
  
• The YEC communicated with other young people through a quarterly newsletter and website.

In 2010, the YEC was handed over to the Department of Education and Children’s Services and the Natural Resources Management Boards of South Australia.

The YEC is now a State-wide network for like-minded Yr 6-10 students to learn, share and be inspired about sustainability.  The YEC offers free workshops to give students the skills and knowledge to run their own environmental action projects in their local community.