At Ocean Wise, our mission is to inspire the global community to become Ocean Wise by increasing its understanding, wonder and appreciation for our oceans. Our Children & Youth Programs are immersive ocean education experiences that foster love for our oceans through fun and interactive activities, engaging over 9,000 children, youth and families in marine science annually.
Our youth programs and initiatives create space for the next generation of environmental leaders to be supported and inspired.
YouthToSea:
YouthToSea is designed to give a voice to youth in discussions about ocean conservation and sustainability. Our members will develop their own ideas to become part of a larger group of environmental leaders.
Youth will gain valuable work experience, service hours and mentorship in leadership and education through a work placement with our AquaCamps program at the Vancouver Aquarium. Training includes several certifications and a weekend retreat with team-building and leadership programs.
Our goal is to create a space where youth can connect and support each other as they take action in their own communities to drive ocean conservation efforts. Participants will have the opportunity to develop service projects to be part of a youth-driven effort to inspire the next generation of global leaders, and engage the public in ocean conservation efforts
Learning Journeys: Learning Journey's are multi-day excursions that allow youth the opportunity to encounter new experiences and challenges that furthers their personal and professional development. On our Learning Journey's participants work together as a diverse team across Greater Vancouver to increase their knowledge on the Ocean Literacy Principles. Our hope is that we help develop and foster a love and understanding for our outdoor environment. Learning Journey participants become ambassadors and champions for ocean conservation, global citizenship and a collaborative, hopeful future. By starting with awe and wonder, then enhancing learning with in-depth multi-media content, we inspire our participants to take action for ocean conservation.
Duke of Edinburgh's International Award: Ocean Wise is proud to partner with the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award, giving youth the opportunity to complete their award under the mentorship of Ocean Wise staff. The Duke Edinburgh’s International Award is an internationally recognized program for young people, building their skills to equip them for life and work.
Online Ocean: If you are looking for unique ways to engage and learn about the ocean - look no further.Educators and animal experts at Ocean Wise and Vancouver Aquarium have compiled fun activities and educational resources to teach kids to learn and care for the ocean from the comfort of your living room. From crafts to live-stream programs, Online Ocean has it all. Content will be updated regularly. Check back often.
Questions about our programs? Please email youth@ocean.org or call 604-659-3493.
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On behalf of Ocean Wise and Return It , we would like to invite to you and your school to help lead a collaboration of youth ages 13-18, in the 2020Closing the Loop on Plastics Youth Dialogue, focusing on Return It BC’s mandate to develop, manage and improve systems to recover used packaging and end-of-life products from consumers and ensure that they are properly recycled and not land-filled or incinerated.
Plastic is everywhere in our oceans and it’s going to take a deep, transformational change in humanity’s consciousness and activities regarding the oceans to ensure healthy, sustainable life on this planet. The goal of this program is to empower youth to understand why zero waste strategies are important; discover what can be done to increase and protect ocean health; and through reviewing direct action taken by our governments in a combination of research, policies, regulation, conservation and partnership activities reflect on our community’s effort to take their recycling initiatives to the next level. Participating students will engage in projects and activities that create spaces and opportunities to reflect on how their communities can better engage in conservation and environmental change in their homes, schools, cities and regions.
Each Provincial Lead school will be responsible for:
Participation in focused collaboration
Completion of weekly online collaborative enrichment activities, including student-driven and locally-based awareness initiatives
Participation in a school data collection survey on recycling in their community
Synthesize work into a Social Media Campaign
● Students throughout the Province will collaborate on a social media campaign strategy and assets that will be shared in on their school’s, Ocean Wise’ and Return It BC’s channels.
We would be honoured to have you represent your school and local community, and the voice of the youth therein. The opportunity to impact change on a local and national basis can only be achieved through uniting the voice of young people based on knowledge and a desire for change.
