In 2024, Heirs To Our Ocean held for the first time an exhibit at the National Youth Leadership Council Conference in St. Paul, Minnesota. This event brought together educators, organizations, and youth leaders committed to empowering young people leading actions in their communities to address critical issues affecting them.
Emily, H2OO Program & Communications Coordinator shares more below:
“H2OO’s exhibit highlighted how our unique programs – from our Summit for Empowerment Action and Leadership (SEAL) to the U.S. Youth Action Council for the UN Ocean Decade – are equipping and supporting youth in addressing the global environmental and humanitarian crises impacting their futures. Through our exhibit display and the networking sessions, we were able to showcase how our programs help youth develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to lead action projects in their communities and how we work to eliminate barriers to youth leadership in high-level decision-making spaces.
The conference was a meaningful opportunity to not only connect with like-minded organizations and share new ideas and strategies for empowering youth to tackle pressing complex issues such as climate change but also for reinforcing the importance of intentional collaborations to amplify youth voices. One key outcome was exploring potential opportunities for new partnerships which could allow us to co-host future workshops with other global oriented orgs and provide more resources for youth leaders. Additionally, several conference attendees applied to Heirs To Our Ocean’s U.S. YAC UNOD 5th Cohort, leading to new members from states that have not yet been represented in the U.S. YAC UNOD program membership.” – Emily Berglund, Program & Communication Coordinator H2OO, California
