YOUTH ACTION COUNCILS
We Advocate for Youth Having a Meaningful “Seat at the Table”
Heirs to Our Ocean (H2OO) organizes and supports youth action councils in a unique way by:
Empowering youth to take a meaningful “seat at the table” with the multigenerational team it is collaborating with
Cultivating youth member’s skill-building and education to ensure their success
Ensuring diversity and lifting the voices of youth who have been traditionally marginalized and are situated most vulnerably in the world
Positioning youth as drivers of change
H2OO SPONSORED THE ONLY YOUTH DELEGATION UNDER AGE 25 AT THE 2024 UN OCEAN DECADE CONFERENCE!
2024 UN OCEAN DECADE CONFERENCE, BARCELONA
H2OO led an official 2024 UN Ocean Decade Conference Side-Event on April 9, 2024, advocating for the meaningful inclusion of youth aged 15–25 in the Decade. Five youth leaders involved in H2OO were sponsored to attend to represent their generation and lead the side-event.
Presented was our model that actively engages youth in the Decade, emphasizing the importance of all UN Member States involving youth through Youth Action Councils.
WATCH THE RECORDING
H2OO ENGAGES YOUTH AS A DECADE IMPLEMENTATION PARTNER (DIP)
In 2020, H2OO formed the world’s first Youth Action Council for the UN Ocean Decade (YAC UNOD) in the U.S., and it continues to organize and support it.
H2OO created a toolkit — Guide to Organizing a Youth Action Council for the UN Ocean Decade — to assist UN Member States and inspired youth in forming a YAC UNOD.
PREVIEW the ToOLKITIf interested in receiving the full toolkit in consultation with H2OO to form a YAC UNOD please contact us at info@H2OO.org
Contact usH2OO is an official Decade Implementation Partner (DIP) of the International Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC/UNESCO) due to its work in youth engagement during the Decade.
CORE PRINCIPLES FOR YOUTH ENGAGEMENT IN THE OCEAN DECADE
CONNECTION
Youth are connected in purpose as they process the greatest challenges their generation faces with ocean and water health and commit to allyship for those whose voices have traditionally been excluded.
COLLABORATION & SHARED LEARNING
Identifying the ways in which injustices that have affected frontline communities + the ocean are intertwined and taking action to address their root causes.
SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Opportunities offered to all youth in organization, leadership, presentation & public speaking, policy advocacy, and storytelling.
EMPATHETIC LEADERSHIP
Demonstrating the ability to see complex situations from another’s perspective and being open to embracing new viewpoints and processes.
COMMUNITY ACTIVATION
Engage local community and community-based solutions to further an ocean-protecting and climate-action movement in the Decade.
INTERSECTIONAL PROCESSING
Identifying the ways in which injustices that have affected frontline communities + the ocean are intertwined and taking action to address their root causes.
SEE WHAT YOUTH ARE SAYING
