As Youth Coordinator for The Ocean Project, I start getting excited on January 1 for World Oceans Day.
To me, World Oceans Day is an opportunity to celebrate and take action with my fellow ocean advocates and rally both my local and global communities to protect our ocean. It is a day for everyone to renew their dedication to ensuring our blue planet is safe and abundant for centuries to come.
But for all of us, 2020 has looked a bit different than what we originally expected and the plans we made at the beginning of the year have definitely been altered! At first, I was extremely discouraged and sad by the prospect of spending World Oceans Day quarantined. After all, the thing I love most about celebrating June 8 is the in-person community element; friends, family, and strangers gathering together to make a difference. But after seeing a similar sadness and discouragement amongst the young people I work with, our team decided to take advantage of the powers of the internet and ensure the ocean community could still “gather” and take action this June with Youth-a-thon!
Youth-a-thon was 24-hour livestream event on June 20 and 21 that allowed young people around the world the opportunity to:
- Learn more about conservation efforts and environmental topics of interest
- Connect with a global community of young changemakers
- Join the movement to take action to protect our shared ocean, climate, and blue planet
Throughout the 24 hours, there were 24 sessions with 24 different (but interrelated) topics on conservation, art, environmental justice, plastic pollution, creative writing, storytelling, climate change, marine biology, activism, and more! Hosted by 73 youth leaders, organizations, and environmental experts from around the world, the livestream ensured everyone (in every major time zone) could continue to take action for a sustainable future this June.
Couldn’t make it or just hearing about it now? Check out the recordings below and stay tuned as we release all 24 hours over the coming months!
Watch the sessions here!
Sign up here to receive updates on the release of the rest of the 24 hours sessions. Check out the full line-up here.
