Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Here are a few ways you can get more informed and involved: 

• IMPAC5 - The Fifth International Marine Protected Area Congress is a global forum that brings together ocean conservation professionals and high-level officials to inform, inspire and act on marine protected areas. Virtual and in person. Registration rate varies. Held in Vancouver, Canada from 3-9 February. 

• Youth Climate and Gender Program - Seeking 45 young climate advocates (15 based in the UK and 30 based in Egypt). Program includes orientation sessions, training and capacity-building, and planning an awareness campaign on gender and climate. Project ends with a Hybrid Conference attended by government officials, climate & women rights advocates, students, professors and NGOs representatives. Participants will present the result of their campaigns through a TED-format talk. Deadline to apply is 13 January.

• Changemakers for the Planet - Join a 5-day summit packed with collaboration, networking, capacity and skill-building, and access to community partners and funding opportunities. Applicants from Europe, the Middle East, and Northern Africa ages 18-35 accepted. Deadline to apply is 15 January.

• Green Growth Africa EcoHeroes Initiative - Groups of 5 or more students from any African country will work together to find solutions to sustainability issues in their community, receive training, support, and resources for their club chapter, and compete to receive grants for their project. Deadline to apply is 20 January.

• Rising Blue Advocacy Training - The Ocean Project is running a 4-week virtual program for youth leaders ages 15-21, associated with a Zoo, Aquarium, and/or Museum in the United States. The training content will build upon and refine existing advocacy skills and encourage strengthened collaborative conservation action. Participants will talk with experts, network with peers, and develop a strong foundation for future advocacy efforts. Deadline to apply is 23 January.

• The Rise Challenge - To support 15-17 year olds as they create an individual project - a piece of music, art, performance, or film; develop a new product, software service, or business; build a social or political movement; create a body of research; or anything else - that demonstrates their talents and benefits their communities. From the 500 finalists, Rise selects up to 100 global winners. Applicants accepted from any country. Deadline is 25 January.

• 2023 SolvEd Youth Innovation Challenge - Youth ages 24 and under may submit a tech-enabled solution that addresses an unmet social, environmental, or economic need in their community. The solution may be a concept, a product that is being prototyped, a service that is being piloted in your community, or a fully operational nonprofit or for-profit organization. Selected participants receive $5000 USD, and winners receive a prize from a pool of $100,000USD. Deadline to submit 24 January.

• Young Water Fellowship Program - Empowering young leaders to implement projects addressing water, sanitation, and hygiene, water pollution, and water scarcity. The program offers intensive training, project seed grants up to €5000, and mentoring support by senior experts. Applicants should be ages 18-30 and residents of low/middle-income countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Deadline to apply is 31 January.

• Content Proposal: Power Shift Convergence 2023 - A collaborative intersectional environmental space with three days of programming containing a variety of narratives, arts, and climate lenses. The goal is for the majority of presenters/facilitators to be Black, Indigenous, and/or POC, and reflect a diversity of ages, socioeconomic classes, educational backgrounds, sexual orientations, gender identities, races, and abilities. Proposals will be taken into consideration on a rolling basis until 1 February.

• The Local Pathways Fellowship - Seeks to provide young leaders with a platform, action framework, and connections with leading development experts to advance local dialogue, collaboration and problem solving around the Sustainable Development Goals.10-month program for youth leaders ages 18-30 from any country. Deadline to apply is 1 February.

• NOAA's Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship - Provides a unique, educational and professional experience to graduate students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. Matches highly qualified graduate students with "hosts" in the legislative and executive branch of government located in the Washington, D.C. area, for a one year paid fellowship. Deadline to apply is 16 February.

• National Geographic's Slingshot Challenge - This is a call for 13-18 year olds to create a one-minute video with a solution to our current environmental problems. Ideas for slingshotting our planet forward can include: Protect Nature, Clean the Air, Restore the Ocean, Reduce Waste, Address Climate Change. Five $10,000 top prizes. Deadline is 24 February.

• EarthEcho's OurEcho Challenge - A STEM competition that empowers students to take a closer look at biodiversity in their communities. Students will identify threats to local ecosystems and then propose solutions to help preserve, protect, or repair those natural resources. Open to students in the US (Grades 5-9) and the UK (Years 6-10). Cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Apply by 3 March.

• 30x30 Collaboration - Looking for youth and youth-focused organizations in Peru, Ecuador, Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Bolivia, Cameroon, and Ghana. If you are from one of these countries and are interested in collaborating for conservation action, let us know! Please forward this widely to anyone you know in these countries. Reach us this month at info@theoceanproject.org.