From student advocate to sustainability leader! Vanessa R. started her journey with Plastic Free Cities unsure of how to make an impact. Now, she’s leading canvassing workshops, mentoring students, and even getting local businesses to join the movement!

From June 2nd to June 7th, 2024, Sea Youth Rise Up (SYRUP) brought together young ocean advocates from around the world for a week of training, lobbying, and networking in Washington D.C. Participants engaged with state and federal legislators, environmental agencies, and attended Capitol Hill Ocean Week, hearing from over 40 guest panelists. This collaborative initiative by Big Blue & You, The Ocean Project, and EarthEcho International showcased the power of youth advocacy in ocean conservation. Read on to discover the impactful moments and key takeaways from this inspiring event.

Plastic Free Cities Student Mentor Vanessa Carbajal talks about her experience in the program and how she learned the importance of the reduction of our own plastic consumption.

We are thrilled to announce the launch of Plastic Free Cities, a collaborative project between Ocean Conservancy, Debris Free Oceans, and Big Blue & You, in partnership with Miami-Dade County’s Plastic Free 305, and funded by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

Want to know more about our Big Blue Crew? Check out this blog where four high school students talk about how they are taking an active role in fighting for our oceans!

We want to take a moment to highlight all the great work that the Big Blue Crew has done over the past few months. The Big Blue Crew is a team of youth advocates from all across the globe who have joined forces to protect the oceans of the world.

With the unprecedented events of 2020, many organizations were forced to re-evaluate programming, thus Big Blue & You has pivoted the way we engage youth! Check out our new programs that are making waves in our community!

Since the Ocean Heroes Bootcamp program was co-founded by Lonely Whale and the Captain Planet Foundation in 2018, Big Blue & You trained more than 500 kids ages 11 to 18 on communications strategies to fight plastic pollution. Unfortunately, this program was shuttered due to the pandemic, but we hope to contribute again when it is revived!