• Promotional Periods: PES Renewable Energy in Schools (RES)
• PES YP Mentoring Program: from PES Student Chapter to PES Professional Chapters
• PES YP Awards’ Ceremony

PES R9 Young Professionals organized the 1^st  Brazilian PES YP and PES Student Chapter meeting (Figure 1) on June 15^th. This event was organized as part of the IEEE Brazilian meeting of Student Branches (RNR) and IEEE Brazilian meeting of Young Professionals (RNYP) 2017.

The RNR & RNYP 2017 was held by six IEEE Student Branches (UFF, UERJ, UCP, CEFET RJ, PUC RJ and UFRJ), WIE RJ and YP RJ affinities group at Rio de Janeiro City (IEEE Rio de Janeiro Section). The RNR & RNYP event had 214 IEEE students, graduate students and Young Professionals (Figure 2).

The PES YP R9 held a promotion period focused on the 1^st Brazilian PES YP and PES Student Chapter meeting. In this promotion, all new Brazilian PES Student Chapters created from 05/01/2017 to 06/31/2017 received a PES RES (Renewable Energy in Schools) kit financed by PES Member-Driven Initiatives. This promotion period was a PES YP R9 pilot project to motivate and measure the impact in the increase PES Student Chapters and PES membership in a short time. The promotion was announcement in May. In the two months of promotion, nine new PES Student Chapters were started (Figure 3).

In 2017, 25 new PES Student Chapters were created in IEEE Region 9 (up to August) as presented in Figure 4a.

Therefore, this initiative focused on the 1^st Brazilian PES YP and PES Student Chapter meeting and increased to 40% of the PES student chapters in IEEE Region 9 (Figure 4b). In addition, the same initiative increased to 18% of the new PES Student Chapters around the world.

The 1^st Brazilian PES YP and PES Student Chapter meeting was attended by 19 PES Student Chapters (Figure 5) and one PES Professional Chapter (PES South Brazil Section Chapter)

PES YP R9 started a new project called “PES YP Mentoring Program: from PES Student Chapter to PES Professional Chapters” in 2016. This project is part of the PES Networking without Borders and the focus is this topics:

1) Mentoring of PES Student Chapters. Help in transition from PES student to PES members YP.

2) Integration of PES Student Chapters with PES Professional Chapters, WiP and PES YP activities.

3) Strengthen the PES Professional Chapters through involvement with PES Student Chapters.

This new PES YP project will be described in more detail in a future article published in PES eNews Update.

The PES YP R9 conducted training for PES Student Chapter chairs, PES Student Chapters volunteers and PES YP members during the event. This training was inspired in the PES Professional Chapter Chairs Training conducted in all IEEE regions by PES. In addition, the training to PES YP and PES student chapters was based on the concept of the PES Networking without Borders (NwB) project. In future articles the PES NwB project will be explained in more detail.

The event was composed of four parts as described below.

Part 1: Introduce PES

The following topics were presented to PES YP and PES student members:

– PES Overview: PES Professional Chapters; PES Student Chapters; PES YP and PES WiP

– PES funding opportunities with PES Member-Driven Initiatives

– PES DLP (PES Distinguished Lecturer Program)

– PES student free membership

– PES website

Part 2: Best Practices and Projects

All of the chapters presented an overview of their activities and projects. This part of the event was important to open the minds of all PES members to new projects and success stories from different PES Student and Professional Chapters. Also, the chapter made brainstorm to be replicate project in their chapters.

Part 3: Brazilian PES YP and Student Strategic Planning

PES members participated in strategic planning sessions focused on future joint activities with the PES Brazil Chapters (Figure 6).

The following Brazilian PES YP and PES Student Chapters goals were developed in the strategic planning sessions:

• WiP Incentive in Brazil: Integrate the activities of PES Student Chapters with WIE groups to increase the WiP (Women in Power) activities in PES Brazil.
• Incentive of PES YP: Conduct joint activities with PES YP and PES Student Chapters.
• Humanitarian Activities: Make social and humanitarian activities available through PES Student Chapters.
• Awards: Award and recognize PES members by the PES Student Chapters.
• Joint Projects: PES joint activities with PES Professional Chapters and PES Student Chapters
• PES Networking without Borders: PES joint activities with different PES Student Chapters.
• Educational Activities: Educational activities with PES RES (Renewable Energy in Schools).

Part 4: PES YP Awards Ceremony

The Awards Ceremony (Figure 7) presented two types of certificates to PES student chapters:

• New PES Student Chapters (US $ 200) – 13 Certificates (total US$ 2600)
• 2016 PES High Performing Student Chapter – 9 Certificates (total US$ 2851)

The PES Award Certificates were announced in the RNR & RNYP closing ceremony. The PES investment in our student chapters was presented in front of 214 IEEE students and IEEE YP members. Most of the IEEE members present did not know about the PES benefits and financial support given to PES student chapters.

In this article, we have presented some PES YP success cases and best practices that can be replicated in other IEEE Sections and IEEE Regions:

• Promotional periods with PES STEM kits (Renewable Energy in Schools) can increase the number of the PES Student Chapters;
• “PES YP mentoring program: from PES Student Chapters to PES Professional Chapters” can help in the transition from PES students to PES YP volunteer workers.
• Delivery of Award Certificates (for new PES Student Chapters) in IEEE national and IEEE regional student events can increase the visibility and impact of our PES investment.

In future articles, we will present more details about i) PES RES (Renewable Energy in Schools); ii) PES YP mentoring program: from PES student chapters to PES professional chapters; iii) PES Networking without Borders (PES NwB) and iv) PES YP Continuing Educational Program (PES YP CEP) as best practices for PES YP membership development and increasing PES activities and membership.

Thiago Ribeiro de Alencar
IEEE PES YP membership development coordinator
Past IEEE PES YP Region 9 (2014 – 2017)