Sea Youth Rise Up
Empowering the Next Generation of Ocean Advocates
Sea Youth Rise Up (SYRUP) is a youth-led initiative that brings together passionate young ocean advocates from across the country to elevate their voices and take action for a more sustainable future. Each year, SYRUP participants travel to Washington D.C. during Capitol Hill Ocean Week (CHOW) and World Ocean Day for a week of immersive leadership training, advocacy workshops, and meetings with legislators and environmental agencies.
Launched in 2016, SYRUP is a collaborative effort founded by Big Blue & You, the Youth Ocean Conservation Summit, and The Ocean Project. Together, we created a platform where young people can directly advocate for ocean policy and grow as changemakers. Through this one-of-a-kind experience, SYRUP continues to inspire the next generation to protect and restore our blue planet.
Our Impact: Turning Passion Into Policy
Over the years, Sea Youth Rise Up has created a ripple effect of youth-led impact in the ocean conservation space. Participants have met with state and federal legislators, shared their stories on national platforms, and helped push forward ocean policy discussions that center youth voices.
In 2025, Sea Youth Rise Up welcomed a dynamic new cohort of youth advocates to Washington D.C., where they met with 14 environmental leaders, including policymakers, nonprofit founders, and former SYRUP delegates. Throughout the week, they built meaningful connections with peers from across the country, attended Capitol Hill Ocean Week, and lobbied for ocean-friendly legislation. SYRUP continues to prove that when young people rise up for the ocean, real change is not only possible, it’s already happening.
Making a Splash on CBS Miami
Danni and Alejandro discussed Sea Youth Rise Up's transformative initiatives on CBS Miami, emphasizing youth voices and promoting marine conservation to showcase the program's impact on communities.
See what went down at Sea Youth Rise Up
From impactful advocacy trainings to powerful conversations with lawmakers and ocean leaders, our youth delegates made waves in Washington D.C.! Dive into this behind-the-scenes recaps written by SYRUP alum Alejandro Ganaza to see how young ocean advocates from across the globe came together to raise their voices for the blue planet for the past two years.
Sea Youth Rise Up: Youth Advocacy Since 2016
Making Waves in Washington
In 2023, we organized a delegation of youth leaders to participate in SYRUP where they shared ocean conservation work with state and federal legislators including representatives from the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the U.S. Department of State, and the offices of key Florida legislators Senator Marco Rubio and Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart.