Blog: Youth Roundtable on Canada’s Sustainable Blue Economy

By: Audrey Nelles

On June 9, the SOI Foundation hosted an event to mark World Ocean Week, bringing together Canadian youth aged 18-30 to provide their perspectives on the Sustainable Blue Economy and to feed into Canada’s Blue Economy Strategy. This event also marked the launch of the SOI-led Blue Futures Pathways Internship program, where participating youth could be eligible for salary stipends of up to $15,000 towards employment in the ocean or water sectors. The event, titled Explore: Sustainable Blue Economy, was hosted in partnership with Prince’s Trust Canada. 

As a BFP intern, I was pleased to be one of the organizers of the event, which included a youth-facilitated roundtable focused on how we see future opportunities in Canada’s ocean and water sectors. More than 30 youth from across Canada participated, representing 10 provinces and territories. We covered a range of topics concerning the future of the Sustainable Blue Economy, from opportunities and values, to barriers and innovation in this emerging sector. The outcomes of this discussion were shared with Fisheries and Oceans Canada in a written report— to ensure that our youth voices are represented in the creation of Canada’s Blue Economy Strategy. Our discussion was also summarized in a graphic recording created by Kara Stonehouse and Laura O’Grady, as well as in a poem performed by spoken word artist Raym Guillermo of ArRay of Words.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Sustainable Blue Economy, sign up for our learning modules exploring marine water, freshwater, wastewater, and the cryosphere. Youth who complete these learning modules are assigned a mentor and are eligible for salary stipends through the Blue Futures Pathways Internship program. We’d love to hear from you!

Note: this is uncut, and was performed live during the event