YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCILS
We Advocate for Youth Having a Meaningful “Seat at the Table”
Heirs to Our Ocean (H2OO) organizes and supports youth advisory 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

4TH COHORT APPLICATION NOW CLOSED!
U.S. YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR THE UN OCEAN DECADE 4TH COHORT HAD A SUCCESSFUL RECRUITMENT WITH 64 APPLICATIONS RECEIVED!
Thank you to everyone who helped us get out the word about this opportunity.
If you are interested in participating in the 5th Cohort Sept 2024-May 2025, click the button below to sign up for our newsletter and be alerted when 5th Cohort application goes live!
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H2OO ENGAGES YOUTH AS A DECADE IMPLEMENTATION PARTNER (DIP)
In 2020, H2OO formed the world’s first Youth Advisory Council for the UN Ocean Decade (YAC for UNOD) in the U.S., and it continues to organize and support it.
H2OO created a toolkit — Guide to Organizing a Youth Advisory Council for the UN Ocean Decade — to assist UN Member States and inspired youth in forming a YAC for UNOD.
H2OO 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.
Toolkit: Guide to Form a YAC for UNODCOHORTS OF U.S. YAC FOR UN OCEAN DECADE
REAL LIFE EXPERIENCES
Every year, the Policy Committee of the U.S. Youth Advisory Council for the UN Ocean Decade (U.S. YAC for UNOD) organizes meetings with lawmakers at the U.S. Capitol to urge for policy that takes a step toward a safer planet. Youth have met with lawmakers to discuss the following bills:
Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act
Ocean Based Climate Solutions Act
Magnuson Stevens Act (Reauthorization)
Sustainable Agriculture Research Act
Farmers Fighting Climate Change Act
WATCH YOUTH IN WASHINGTON D.C.
COMMITMENT OF YAC FOR UNOD MEMBERS
Power-with leadership,
not power-over

Collaborative goal setting

Engaging and mobilizing youth to advocate for their future

Inclusion of all voices

Understanding the intersectionality of issues related to our one-water system, climate and humanity

Prioritizing the team over self in working toward goals

SEE WHAT YOUTH ARE SAYING




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COMMITTED TO CREATING A MORE JUST AND EMPATHETIC FUTURE
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