Ocean Bridge

A new national youth program from Ocean Wise®, called Ocean Bridge, is bringing together 40 young Canadians (ages 18 to 30) and has kicked off its next phase: a national dialogue about how we can better serve our oceans and our communities. Ocean Bridge is a National Partner in the Canada Service Corps, a Government of Canada initiative that focuses on community service by young Canadians. Ocean Bridge participants represent a cross-section of Canada’s youth and include individuals from eight provinces and three territories. The 40 youth connected for the first time via video conference as they began a year-long program to co-create community service projects for urban and wilderness settings with an aim to improve ocean health through hands-on efforts. They will focus not just on their respective towns, cities or regions with localized service, but also on broader opportunities. The team will connect virtually on a weekly basis to discuss topics such as climate change, overfishing and plastic pollution, and then build creative ideas to activate conservation work close to home. As part of their service, participants will also mentor teens in schools and youth groups to provide guidance and encouragement on ways they may contribute to their local communities. Ocean Bridge is a multi-year program, and in 2019, a new group of youth participants will travel to Lake Superior and to Ottawa for their extended service expedition. To find out more about the program visit http://bridge.ocean.org.