New charity launches nationwide opportunity to train the next wave of ocean advocates
Scotland, January 4th, 2024 – Young Sea Changers Scotland, a dynamic new charity dedicated to training the next generation of marine advocates, is poised to make a splash as it launches across Scotland this month.
Young Sea Changers Scotland (YSCS) was set up to address a shocking lack of young people participating in formal discussions and decision-making processes affecting how our seas are managed for the future. In a 2018 survey of young people across Scotland, around 79% agreed that Scotland’s seas should be protected, yet just over 46% said they did not feel informed about the issues affecting Scotland’s seas. The survey also found that young people, unsurprisingly, did not believe their views are well represented in decision making.
The organisation’s Founder & Director, Alan Munro, recognised a clear need for a dedicated platform to equip young people with the skills and confidence to speak up.
YSCS will launch with a new training programme to do just that. ‘Turning the Tide’ - a new capacity building and development programme - will empower a cohort of 16-25 year olds to engage in marine policy and advocacy. The online course will be open to young people across Scotland, no matter their location, proximity to the coast or previous knowledge of marine issues, recognising that the health of our seas affects us all.
And this year is only the beginning; YSCS hopes to train at least 15 young people every year and build a Scotland-wide community of young ocean advocates to kickstart a new era of marine policy-making with the younger generation front and centre.
And this couldn’t come at a better time; the Scottish Government will soon be asking the public their views on a new National Marine Plan 2 - a potentially visionary roadmap for Scotland's seas over the next decade. Scientific evidence warns that the health of Scotland’s seas is continuing to decline. In 2023, the landmark State of Nature report highlighted that competition for marine space and resources is at an unprecedented level and, coupled with climate change, Scotland’s marine wildlife and habitats are increasingly under threat.
As the custodians of our future seas, young people’s voices are more important than ever.