“Je suis jeune, il est vrai ; mais aux âmes bien nées/La valeur n’attend point le nombre des années.”

“It is true, I am young, but for souls nobly born/Valor doesn’t await the passing of years.”

Le Cid, Pierre Corneille (1606–1684)

What is a “young” endoscopist? Arbitrary age-limits aside, defining today’s young endoscopist is as simple and as tricky as the phrase: “I know it when I see it”. Recent years have seen the rise of groups dedicated to and managed by young representatives of different medical societies while social media has opened up unprecedented opportunities for collaboration and exchange of ideas within our community. In this exciting atmosphere of change, we in the ESGE Young Endoscopists (EYE) committee have made it our mission to represent all who might be early in our endoscopy career, still in training, or just embarking in a new direction in the ever-expanding field of digestive endoscopy. But what should be the focus of young endoscopists today?

All of us strive to develop, gain and maintain mastery in our practice and in this venture we are no different from any peer regardless of age. Education and training will always remain paramount fields of interest to the young who invariably benefit from expert guidance, stimulating peer-networking, and active involvement in decision-making in order to grow. The differences in healthcare systems between regions and implicit or explicit expectations sadly mean that uniformity in training and access to career development opportunities may be limited. Which is why attempts to define concepts such as quality, key performance indicators, and develop frameworks for standardized, high-quality training and credentialing should represent a priority for young endoscopists. In fact, one of the proudest achievements of the EYE committee so far is the recent publication of a document on training in basic endoscopy [1]. This ESGE / ESGENA publication should serve as the backbone for a uniform approach to basic training in digestive endoscopy.

In our view, being a young endoscopist means being vibrant, active, and available, always up for getting involved and learning from new experiences ([Fig. 1]). By listening to those deep-seated impulses to contribute and change, young endoscopists become integral to increasing awareness and ensuring the success of fundamental ESGE principles such as quality, sustainability, equity, and public advocacy on behalf of the entire endoscopy community. Having the courage to offer new and disruptive perspectives has always been at the core of progress and while the “heroic” age of Medicine may be over, the restlessness and drive of the young will continue to push the envelope for research and innovation.

What young endoscopists can offer is thus obvious. What they need is a chance to do it ([Fig. 2])!