Youth Ocean Advocates use their time, talents, and passion to conserve our marine environment. Discover the variety of ways you can become involved as a Youth Ocean Advocate at the Seattle Aquarium!
The Seattle Aquarium is looking for passionate young people who have an interest in learning about the ocean and will work to inspire others to take conservation action.
As a Youth Ocean Advocate, you will:
- Learn about the marine environment, conservation and advocacy techniques.
- Teach the public about the marine environment and its inhabitants, as well as about actions people can take to protect the ocean—by educating Aquarium visitors and creating content for our social media campaign.
- Participate in conservation projects like beach cleanups, tree plantings and community science.
- And so much more!
If accepted as a Youth Ocean Advocate, you’ll join a group of over 140 teen volunteers from across the Puget Sound region. The initial volunteer commitment will be for either a school year or a summer.
Both school-year and summer volunteers complete a minimum of eight volunteer activities. Volunteer activities vary in length from three to five hours.
After completing your initial volunteer commitment, you may choose to remain a Youth Ocean Advocate volunteer until the summer after your senior year in high school.
Types of YOA programs
Tides
This is the most accessible level of the YOA program, open to any high schooler or high school-aged person. YOA Tides receive our monthly program newsletter, which includes information on our monthly digital meetups. We talk about marine sciences, conservation opportunities and often have special guests who share their knowledge of marine conservation with us. The Tides also have quarterly events in the Seattle area.
Currents
The YOA Currents take a hands-on approach around the Seattle Aquarium. They interpret as volunteers throughout the Aquarium and have access to trainings, classes and field activities designed just for them. These can include classes about marine scientific research, professional development opportunities, behind-the-scenes Aquarium tours and trips to other Seattle institutions. Any high schooler or high school-aged person can apply to be a YOA Current by filling out our interest form. We have cohorts that start in the fall (for the school year) and summer. We typically open the school year interest form in August and the summer interest form in January.
Breakers
The YOA Breakers are special project groups reserved for experienced YOA Currents. These projects are designed to be intensive and focused on one area of interest. YOA Breakers often work closely with conservation professionals, getting a firsthand look into their careers. Breakers are responsible for reporting their project findings and results with the other program participants and sharing their knowledge with their peers.
Requirements and informational sessions
Youth Ocean Advocates must be enrolled in grades 9–12 in a high school, Running Start, GED or homeschool program at the time of application.
We have a limited number of positions to fill each school year and summer. Potential Youth Ocean Advocates must attend one of our informational sessions. After you attend the online informational session, you’ll receive an application to fill out and return to the Aquarium. We’ll select individuals from the applicant pool to interview for the program. The Aquarium selects Youth Ocean Advocates based on each applicant’s interview performance and application.
Program timeline
Please note: This is a rough timeline and may be subject to change.
Summer session
The summer session runs from late June to early September. The timeline for individuals applying for the summer session is as follows:
- January: Interest form opens.
- March: Informational sessions over Zoom, after which the interest form is closed.
- April: Applications are submitted, and decisions are made.
If accepted:
- May: Group interviews.
- May/June: Three trainings (two in person and one online).
- June: Begin signing up for shifts.
School-year session
The school-year session runs from January to June for new YOAs, and from October to June for returning YOAs. The timeline for individuals applying for the school-year session is as follows:
- May: Interest form opens.
- September: Informational sessions over Zoom, after which the interest form is closed.
- October: Applications are submitted, and decisions are made.
If accepted:
- October: Group interviews.
- November: Three trainings (two in person and one online).
- January: Begin signing up for shifts.
Training
Accepted applicants are required to attend an initial training series before beginning their volunteer shifts. Training will consist of five dates (two in person and three online) totaling around 20 hours. Accepted applicants will be able to choose their preferred training dates. Training dates and information will be discussed during the informational session.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the high school volunteer program at the Seattle Aquarium, don’t hesitate to contact our staff at YOA@seattleaquarium.org.
