Leadership Ocean
Leadership Ocean foster leadership at national and international levels among youth and leaders of youth in two distinct program tracks: Fellows and Champions.
Leadership Ocean Fellows
An intensive, multi-year youth leadership development program, Leadership Ocean Fellows will foster the ocean conservation leaders of tomorrow. Beginning in 2010, EarthEcho International will annually welcome a new cadre of unique youth leaders to a growing family of Leadership Ocean Fellows, providing them with the knowledge, experiences, and tools to act as powerful agents for change in their communities, and supporting them as they engage large groups of their peers to take action that benefits their communities, local water systems, and ultimately the Oceans. 15 Fellows, ages 16-20, who have distinguished themselves through service to their communities and an extraordinary ability to engage others, will be selected annually.
The Fellowship begins with a week-long Leadership Expedition to a coastal community facing critical water challenges. The expedition is a leadership development opportunity with experiential instruction woven throughout to build Fellows' knowledge of ocean science and conservation issues, as well as personal leadership skills, while witnessing first-hand the intersection of ocean health with human health, social justice issues, and economic development. Following the expedition, Fellows will stay connected to an increasing library of tools and resources provided by EarthEcho International, and to one another through an online community of practice. When Fellows return to their communities, they will be required to use what they have learned during the Leadership Expedition to complete a locally-relevant action campaign that supports ocean health. In order to assist them in successfully carrying out their action campaigns, EarthEcho International will provide a platform and conduct required monthly Web-based learning sessions on specific ocean-related and/or service-learning topics.
At this time, nominations are being accepted by invitation only. In an effort to ensure that Leadership Ocean Fellows is a genuinely student-driven program, EarthEcho International is conducting interactive planning workshops, including the first Leadership Ocean Fellows Youth Summit held in May 2009, in conjunction with the America's Promise Alliance Academy for Community Engagement, with support from the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.
Leadership Ocean Champions
EarthEcho is reaching out to future youth leaders through networks they are already tapped into. EarthEcho International's Leadership Ocean Champions program is designed to capitalize on the extensive reach that pop-culture heroes (musicians, action sports celebrities, prominent bloggers, etc.) have to American youth by turning them into champions for our oceans. This program builds long-term relationships with Champions, provides them information on how to make changes in their lives, and offers them incentives for empowering their fans to similarly take action that positively affects our water planet.