APPLICATIONS FOR OCEAN BRIDGE 2021 COHORTS ARE NOW CLOSED

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COVID-19 Guidelines and Adaptations

During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, learning journey experiences will reflect the regional health and safety regulations. Experiences may be adapted to protect participants, staff, and local communities. 

What is Ocean Bridge?

Ocean Bridge ambassadors are supported on their journey to become active Ocean Wise citizens and adopt a culture of service through the following program components:

1. Community & Capacity Building

From May to March, youths and young professionals connect as a national team and with the broader community of ocean conservation through a variety of distance-learning activities including speaker series, discussions, workshops, and reflections. Topics of climate change, ocean pollution and overfishing deepen participants’ understanding of complex ocean conservation challenges while professional development workshops build participants’ capacities to act as ambassadors for the ocean. 

Ocean Bridge Ambassadors receive an iPad on loan to support participation in this virtual component of the program.

2. Mentorship & Local Service Projects

During the 11-month program, participants take action for the ocean and waterways by identifying, developing and delivering a service project. An Ocean Bridge program staff provides guidance and support to Ocean Bridge ambassadors throughout their service journey in one-to-one bi-weekly mentorship calls. These individualized coaching sessions focus on goal-setting, service project development and delivery, and reflection.

To support their ocean service projects, Ocean Bridge ambassadors can access:

• Up to $500 Youth Ocean Action Grant funding.
• A range of service kits, on loan, equipped with everything you need for: videography, podcasting, shoreline cleanup, water quality testing, backyard BioBlitz, education outreach, and more.

3. Remote Learning Journey*

The first Learning Journey experience is a 10-day immersive Learning Journey which focuses on ocean and waterway health and delivering service projects in a wilderness setting. In this journey, Ocean Bridge ambassadors meet their peers for the first time during the summer to learn, explore, connect and experience a marine habitat and its major conservation threats. By living, working and reflecting as a team in an iconic natural setting, the ambassadors will develop social capital, respect for diversity and a heightened sense of responsibility and pride in the natural environment, themselves, and one another. During this trip the ambassadors will get to explore nature in a way they might not have done before with as accent on one's own environmental foot print and how it impacts water health. They will get to experience and take an active role in the conservation service projects. They will learn from local experts and researchers and most of all listen to indigenous perspectives on water protection.

The Remote learning journey is partially co-delivered with some local indigenous partners who know best the area, its history and can help us better understand the complexity of interconnection and the underlying threats of our marine habitats. Our goal is that our ambassadors return home to their communities with a deepened understanding of the importance of water protection from an environmental-conservation lens as well as from a spiritual and cultural lens.

Our different regional destinations:

• The St. Lawrence area
• The Great lakes area,
• Halifax and Newfoundland area
• Salish sea and Haida Gwaii area

4. Urban Learning Journey*

The Ocean Bridge experience culminates with this immersive 5-day urban Learning Journey to a leading nature connection institute in one of Canada’s major urban centres. Prior to the Learning Journey, Ambassadors reflect on their Ocean Bridge experience and work in teams to conceptualize and plan innovative and engaging service projects to advance ocean literacy, raise awareness of ocean and waterways issues, and inspire action among other Canadians. This Learning Journey serves as a celebration of all that the ambassadors have achieved throughout their year with Ocean Bridge and the projects are an opportunity for them to share their skills and stories in their words and in ways meaningful to them. The end of the urban Learning Journey signifies the end of the ambassadors’ year with Ocean Bridge, and a transition into the Ocean Bridge alumni community through which continued engagement opportunities are available.

Our different regional urban destinations:

• Vancouver
• Ottawa
• Halifax
• Montréal

5. National Ocean Bridge Summit

Each year, Ocean Bridge hosts a multi-day national virtual event that brings Ocean Bridge ambassadors, alumni and other youths & young professionals from across the conservation sector together. The summit, co-created with Ocean Bridge ambassadors and alumni, features youth-led activities and service projects, presentations, panel discussions, professional development workshops, skill-sharing sessions, networking events and more.

*Remote and Urban Learning Journeys are subject to local, provincial, and federal health guidelines and travel restrictions. While we hope to bring youths together for in-person activities, we will only do so if it can be done safely for participants, staff, and our community hosts.  When necessary, distance-based experiences will be facilitated as an alternative to in-person programming.

Who can participate?

Anyone from 18 to 30 who are passionate about the ocean and waterways can commit to approximately 5 hours of service a week. No prior experience necessary and people from all backgrounds, knowledge and experiences and welcome! We are currently working towards being more inclusive and aligning our programming with anti-racism and decolonization agendas.  That being said, should you require additional support for your full participation, we have multiple services, grants, subsidies and resources available like the following :

• iPad loans,
• Phone line or internet subsidies up to $60 per month,
• Childcare subsidies during immersive learning journeys while on learning journey up to $45/day,
• Adaptive technologies (hearing aid, soft wear, equipment or accommodations for transportation),
• Postage coverage for paper applications,
• Financial support or loan of outdoor gear,
• Dietary restriction accommodation,
• $500 grants for service projects,
• Loan of filming equipment,
• Loan of podcast equipment,
• Homewood health and wellness services which include consultants, therapists, articles, videos and a whole library about various topics.

We therefore encourage everyone to apply, from diverse backgrounds, identities, abilities, talents and interests.  Whether you are from a rural land locked town, northern communities, urban coastal city or anywhere else in between we want to hear from you! The program will cover travel expenses including transport, accommodations, activities and meals for both immersive service Learning Journeys. Additional support is available on  a case-by-case basis. 

Questions?

See our Frequently Asked Questions. If you have specific questions about the program or our available participant support please contact us at oceanbridge@ocean.org. or call 604-659-3885 .