The CoopaWatt association is among the 2025 laureates of the Fondation setec Transition Fund, thanks to its experimental project “Energy Shakers,” an innovative and inclusive initiative aiming to place young people at the heart of the energy transition.
Context
Since 2016, CoopaWatt has been active in the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes and Bourgogne Franche-Comté regions, supporting the creation of citizen energy cooperatives. These organizations allow residents and local authorities to invest together in renewable energy projects.
However, the association quickly noticed a concerning reality: this model of engagement primarily attracts already aware profiles—often male, retired, and from higher socio-professional backgrounds. A large part of the population is therefore left on the sidelines of the opportunities offered by the energy transition.
Project Objectives
To address this challenge, CoopaWatt launched the experimental program Energy Shakers in 2024, with a clear ambition: to mobilize 18–30-year-olds, including those from working-class neighborhoods, around energy issues by giving them the tools to take concrete action.
Through free workshops, events, collective projects, and educational pathways, the program seeks to make energy accessible, understandable, and appealing as a lever to fight against social inequalities and climate disruption.
Project Impacts
By the end of 2025, Energy Shakers aims to:
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Reach 300 additional young people, at least half of whom come from working-class neighborhoods,
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Support 100 of them in taking concrete action,
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Spark at least 5 structuring projects in neighborhoods: festivals, participatory construction sites, or expression groups.
The Role of Fondation setec
Fondation setec is supporting Energy Shakers with €10,000, enabling the development of the pathway “Exploring careers and training in the energy transition” in two priority urban districts:
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Les Buers in Villeurbanne, where CoopaWatt has been working since fall 2024 with local stakeholders (Mission Locale, Social Center, social housing provider Est Métropole Habitat, the City of Villeurbanne, etc.) to offer young people activities related to the energy transition (discovering jobs and training opportunities in the sector, hands-on workshops, etc.) and ultimately build a group of local ambassadors.
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La Sauvegarde, in Lyon’s 9th district, where a similar initiative is being launched, this time in partnership with the City of Lyon, AFEV, the Social Center, and the Duchère football club.
The aim of this pathway is twofold:
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To introduce young people to promising careers in the energy transition and to training opportunities they may not yet know.
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To encourage them to take action through local collective initiatives.
This support will make it possible to work as closely as possible with the field, building links with local stakeholders and raising awareness among young people while engaging them in a concrete dynamic of change.
Floriane Ortega, from setec organisation, is the project’s sponsor and ensures its follow-up.