Blog

On October 7, youth volunteers from the Seattle Aquarium and Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium (PDZA) co-hosted the third Youth Ocean Conservation Summit (YOCS) Puget Sound at PDZA. ​

The Seattle Youth Climate Action Network (CAN), a partnership between the youth programs at the Seattle Aquarium, Woodland Park Zoo and Pacific Science Center, recently wrapped up its first year of programming by sending three youth, including the Aquarium's own Youth Ocean Advocate Sahayra Barojas, to the Adirondack Youth Climate Summit in upstate New York to present on the foundation of Youth CAN and to learn about hosting a summit from a well-established program.

Have you ever noticed youth volunteers painting faces during a visit to the Seattle Aquarium? And wondered where the money from the donation box goes? Youth philanthropy is one of four tracks within the Youth Ocean Advocates high school volunteer program. 

We asked one of our recently graduated youth volunteers, Molly Kamicar, to write about her experience in the Seattle Aquarium’s Youth Ocean Advocate program. In just over a year, Molly gave over 500 hours of outstanding service to our mission, Inspiring Conservation of Our Marine Environment. Her thoughts are below.

Last summer, youth volunteers raised $9,146.99 through donations at their face-painting station. In the past, money raised from the station has been utilized to fund field trips and recognition efforts for youth volunteers. But this year, to educate our young volunteers and position them as Ocean Advocates, $5,000 of that money was set aside to be given away to five organizations that share the Aquarium's mission.

Some of our proudest moments at the Seattle Aquarium occur when we see students working to fulfill our mission of Inspiring Conservation of Our Marine Environment. In a particularly impressive example of this, a group of Suquamish Tribe students from Chief Kitsap Academy recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak at the national level as part of the Coastal America Partnership’s 4th National Student Summit on Oceans and Coasts.

Two Aquarium volunteers—Luke Straus and Deanna Saxbe—were among the winners of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) 2012 photo contest. Per the contest’s guidelines, all submissions were to be made by staff members or volunteers at AZA-accredited zoos or aquariums.