These Young, Ambitious Eco-activists Have Creative Plans to Promote Conservation
Youth leaders are making a difference and mobilizing to protect the ocean through the Ocean Wise Eco-action Accelerator Program.
Atrailblazer in ocean education, Ocean Wise is a global conservation organization that works to take meaningful action to protect and restore oceans. They uplift and accelerate activists across the world through a variety of opportunities – including their Eco-action Accelerator Program. This 16-week, part-time microgrant is available to Canada Service Corps (CSC) alumni ages 19 to 30 who want to scale up conservation projects.
A lot of exciting initiatives have come out of the program – including Solastalgia. Created by Sayemin Naheen, this Vancouver-based initiative focuses on amplifying intergenerational voices. They bring youth together through different in-person events and activities such as local art showcases, as well as online engagements. They’ve recently launched a much-anticipated second magazine called Eco-engagement and Climate Action.
Taking ideas further
Solastalgia aims to be an established, accessible platform where young people can connect with themselves and their eco-emotions. Sharing a similar aspiration, Ally Chant co-created Ripple Environmental Education.
“Through another Ocean Wise program, we had written and published a children’s book about keeping beaches litter-free called Every Little Bit,” Ally explains. “Through Eco-action, we expanded on this idea and started a non-profit called Ripple Environmental Education. We’ve established partnerships across Nova Scotia, provided free workshops to schools and community groups about marine debris upcycling, and created a lending library.”
Another program alumni is Kim De La Cruz. Her project, Native Plants Heal Souls, is a Vancouver Island initiative that explores the teachings of traditional plants and their ability to inspire mindfulness and connection to the Earth. Offering free guided events like nature walks, workshops, and more, Kim plans to produce a plant field guide in the next iteration of her project.
A sustainable future
Nidhi Kotikalapudi created the Aquativity Project to promote environmental justice and reduce eco-anxiety through storytelling. “We just hosted Trash2treasures, a Calgary-based event that featured a fashion show of clothes made of recycled materials,” Nidhi says. “The project’s goal is to spark interest in overconsumption and sustainable development through creativity, and get people reflecting on their own consumer habits.”
Michael Norris developed Friends of the Brook to raise awareness about Toronto’s often-forgotten river systems. “They’re actually the indigenous spawning grounds of Atlantic salmon, but their numbers have decreased dramatically as we’ve built dams,” Michael explains. “Ocean Wise connected me with professionals that provided funding, through which I was able to build and install prototypes that allows salmon to pass through and continue to spawn.”
The Eco-action Accelerator Program breaks down financial and social barriers for participants, helping incredible projects scale up and focus on long-term sustainability.
The project’s goal is to spark interest in overconsumption and sustainable development through creativity, and get people ref lecting on their own consumer habits.