Upcoming Events & Opportunities

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

• 30x30 Action: Youth Advocacy Webinar - Join National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence and Founder of Pristine Seas, Dr. Enric Sala, as he explains why the global 30x30 campaign is so important for our future. Participants will learn how to best push for conservation action on a local, national, and global scale. For youth of any age from any country. Session recording will be available online. 8 April, at 3pm EDT/ 7pm UCT.

• Youth Advocacy Training - Save the dates! Hosted by The Ocean Project, this 4-week virtual program will build upon and refine existing advocacy skills, and encourage strengthened collaborative conservation action. The upcoming series will focus on urging leaders to follow through on conservation policy commitments. Registration opening soon. Watch previous sessions here. 29 April, 6 May, 13 May, and 20 May.

• #LatinosMarinos Rising Leaders Initiative - A paid leadership development program aimed at equipping community members with tools and opportunities to be effective leaders and advocates for ocean conservation policies. Includes a week of action in Washington D.C. for World Ocean Day. Apply by 7 April.

• International Youth Climate Delegate Program - Seeking 100 youth, with a priority for delegates from countries on the list of Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Indigenous Peoples and other minority groups around the world, to participate in COP28 and the international climate policy negotiation process. Ages 18-35 from any country. Apply by 7 April.

• PowerShift 2023 - A three-day youth climate justice conference filled with trainings, keynote speakers, workshops, panels, healing spaces, actions, and more. In New Orleans/ Bvlbancha from 6-8th April.

• Project Drawdown Webinar: Campus Climate Action Plans - Is your campus’s climate goal or net zero target meaningful enough that we can tell when it’s achieved? Are we all talking about the same thing when using terms like decarbonization or net zero carbon emissions? Monday, 10 April, 4-5pm PDT.

• Champions of the Earth Award - Honors individuals, groups, and organizations whose actions have a transformative impact on the environment. This year, UNEP seeks nominations of those working on sustainable solutions to eliminate plastic pollution. Nominate by 14 April.

• Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes - Annually honoring 25 outstanding young leaders in the US and Canada ages 8 to 18 who have made a significant positive impact on people, their communities, and the environment. Apply by 15th April.

• Climate-Resilient Fisheries Fellowship - A yearlong Fellowship for early-career entrepreneurs and organizations working on projects anywhere in the world that benefit fisheries and promote their ecological, socioeconomic, and community resilience to climate change. Fellows receive a grant funding, access to mentorship, and online courses to develop skills. Apply by 16th April.

• World Ocean Day for Schools: Wavemaker Short Film Program - The theme for 2023 is ‘Ocean is Family’. Seeking 10 youth ocean advocates, ages 11-25 from any country. Each Wavemaker will receive £250 GBP funding to create a short film (2/3 mins) about their connection to a local blue space, while collaborating with a local NGO. Join the team for a storytelling workshop. Apply by 19 April.

• US Climate Action Summit 2023 - Unites key leaders in business, politics and advocacy to drive US climate momentum during Earth Week. Virtual attendance only. 19th April.

• Uplink Great Blue Wall Challenge - Unleashing the regenerative potential of the sustainable blue economy in the Western Indian Ocean. This challenge calls for ocean-positive startups and social enterprises which contribute to sustainability and resilience, delivering benefits to people and nature. Innovations led by women, youth and/or Indigenous groups are strongly encouraged. Apply by 24 April.

• EarthEcho Youth Leadership Council - Play a key role leading EarthEcho’s programs while developing and implementing campaigns to mobilize young people worldwide to protect our ocean planet. Grow as an environmental leader, gain an understanding of the operations of an international non-profit organization as you shape our work and mission, and build connections with your peers. Ages 15-22. Apply by 1 May.

• Story of Stuff Grassroots Grants - Supporting underfunded organizations and communities addressing a myriad of environmental and social justice issues, with a focus on fights over water privatization and plastic pollution. Prioritizing BIPOC-led and serving groups. Currently US only; Applications reviewed and awarded on quarterly basis.

• Capitol Hill Ocean Week 2023 - Convened by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation every June, CHOW brings together scientists, policymakers, scholars, businesses, and conservation leaders to address pressing conservation, science, and management issues facing our oceans and Great Lakes. Virtual and in-person in Washington, DC. 6-8th June.

• Climate Science Olympiad - A student competition to find solutions to climate change. Ages 12-25 from any country. $10k USD prize. Register by 10 June.