In early August, members of EarthEcho’s Youth Leadership Council and Blue Carbon Ambassadors united for EarthEcho’s annual Youth Ambassador Retreat. This year participants from around the world came together for a week of learning, professional development, project planning, and community building in San Diego, California. 

As we welcome our 10th cohort of Youth Leadership Council (YLC) members, this Retreat serves as the YLC’s annual in person meeting where they use this time to gear up for the projects they will lead in the coming year to advance EarthEcho’s mission and work. 

After completing virtual programming over the summer, interacting with industry leaders and starting the process of developing their own projects to support the restoration of blue carbon ecosystems in their home communities, participants in EarthEcho’s Blue Carbon Ambassador convened at the retreat to finalize their community based projects and take part in peer to peer learning exchanges with members of the Youth Leadership Council. 

To kick off the retreat, the EarthEcho team split up to venture into San Diego to witness the power of ocean action where both groups participated in hands-on field experiences to help inform their project planning. 

Youth Leadership Council members began their field experience day at the WILDCOAST office where they were able to learn about efforts to conserve coastal and marine ecosystems and address climate change through natural solutions. Following this, YLC members journeyed out to Batiquitos Lagoon with the WILDCOAST team to witness marine protected areas in action. To round out their field day experience, the group visited Scripps Institution of Oceanography where they had the opportunity to learn from the Sandin lab about coral reef research that informs marine protected areas and the use of technology in studying coral reef ecosystems. They also explored the power of public engagement in advancing ocean protection with Aquarium Conservation Partnership’s Executive Director Kim McIntyre. 

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Meanwhile, EarthEcho’s Blue Carbon Ambassadors participated in a hands-on field experience dedicated to exploring restoration efforts and seaweed aquaculture. Visiting Tecelote Canyon for a guided hike, City of San Diego Park Rangers led ambassadors through the canyon where they were able to monitor biodiversity at sites where restoration efforts have been underway for over a decade. Witnessing the results of these restoration efforts and seeing life return to the canyon, left ambassadors inspired and excited to continue working on their own restoration projects that they will soon be leading in their own communities.

Following their journey through Tecolote Canyon, the Blue Caron Ambassadors headed over to Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where ambassadors had the privilege of exploring all things seaweed! Ambassadors were able to get their hands wet at the “slab lab”, an outdoor seaweed aquaculture lab. They then dove into kelp restoration efforts with a tour of Jen Smith’s seaweed ecology lab, where they were able to interact with graduate students, learning both about these students’ research and their educational journeys. To round out their time at Scripps, both the Youth Leadership Council and our Ambassadors toured the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, a hub for interdisciplinary approaches to understanding and protecting our planet. 

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Our action packed field experience day would not be possible without the support of the passionate experts who shared their knowledge and expertise. A huge shout out to WILDCOAST, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Aquarium Conservation Partnership, the Sandin Lab, Smith Lab, and City of San Diego Park Rangers for supporting our incredible field day programming. 

Professional Development Day 

With an opportunity to reflect on all they learned during the field day, both YLC members and Ambassadors spent the following day participating in professional development workshops focused on communications, building their personal brand, and project planning. Blue Carbon Ambassadors had the chance to meet with expert guest speakers who shared about their experiences with seaweed aquaculture and restoration, and afterwards met with ambassadors in small groups to give advice about their projects.

Meanwhile our EarthEcho Youth Leadership Council members kicked off their annual planning meeting, outlining key goals and projects for the year ahead. Ambassadors and YLC members implemented their new knowledge from field day and the professional development into their project plans. 

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Board Dinner 

The annual Youth Ambassador Retreat coincides with the annual meeting for EarthEcho’s Board of Directors. Retreat participants were able to connect with Board members over dinner, sharing their personal experiences as well as their project plans for the upcoming year. 

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Project Presentations 

Rounding out the week, participants had the chance to present their project plans to their peers and apply the communication skills learned throughout the week,  providing an opportunity for peer to peer feedback to support the implementation of these plans post-retreat. 

‍Community Building 

After primarily connecting virtually while working to protect and restore the ocean planet that we love, spending time enjoying the ocean with our community of ocean advocates is a must! To celebrate a successful and full week of hard work, we celebrated with a visit to the Birch Aquarium and a wrap-up beach picnic. 

A special thank you to our sponsors, partners, and participants for your collaboration in making this retreat a success!