Ocean voices celebrates world Ocean day - Youth perspective

 The World Ocean Day event was a hive of energy. 

We were lucky enough to host the event at the YAC in Byron Bay, a spot for all six travelling schools to meet and enjoy a day of ocean focused thinking.  

The theme for the event catalysing youth action for a healthy ocean was displayed across all speakers, panellists and our workshop finale. Our four fantastic speakers were; Mike Smith, Founder of Zero Co bringing insight about the great pacific garbage patch and Zero Co’s ocean and river cleanups for a punch of change. Jahvis Loveday, a founder of Something Deadly reminding the youth about the connection to the ocean and waterways and how change starts from collaboration with your community. Michael Rossilingo, Director of Design at Katapult Design informing students about how different sustainable design products can stop plastic pollution. Sarah Childs from Byron Shire Council engaging the students about the Byron Shire Council plastic free campaign and how critical it is to ban single use plastic. Finally we had Mahi Paquette, the CEO of the Seabin foundation educating the students about the importance of removing plastic from the ocean and how that can be done with the Seabin. 

We had an amazing group of environmental leaders answering questions from the youth about themselves and their organisations. Panellist Liz Hawkins, Dolphin Research Australia, Zoe White from Oz fish, Lucy Jepson from Positive Change for Marine Life, Sarah Child from Byron Shire Council and Mahi Paquette from the Seabin Foundation. We are immensely grateful for their time sharing, inspiring, educating and engaging the youth of the Northern Rivers. 

To end the day off we had Sarah from the Byron Shire Council and Mahi Paquette from the Seabin foundation host a interactive workshop with the goal for the students to make their own campaign to stop single use plastic as well as other harmful plastics such as balloons, astroturfs and synthetic plastic flowers decorations and mentoring the students how to create a informational yet creative poster to decrease the use of these plastics in our Byron Shire environment.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make this event amazing, this includes all the teachers making sure all the students could make it to the event, all our incredible speakers and the fantastic team at Byron Youth Service. 

Ocean Voices hopes that everyone had a great time. This event is only the beginning of this huge wave of change. Hear more about what is next on our instagram oceanvoices01.

Monet – Ocean Voices - Young Ocean Leader