Throughout 2021, we worked hard to engage 16-25 year old’s with the UK’s first National Marine Park. We ran three fully funded Meet the Marine Park experiences, each 3 days long and jam-packed with activities all around Plymouth Sound.
In total, 71 young people joined in with our activities and they are now the first Marine Park Ambassadors!
During the Meet the Marine Park experiences, our Marine Park Ambassadors were able to tour some of the excellent research facilities Plymouth has, including the University of Plymouth and the Marine Biological Association. They visited some of the City’s most popular spots, including The Box and headed up Smeaton’s Tower for one of the best panoramic views in the City. They even got the chance to visit Drake’s Island during a boat trip on the waves of the National Marine Park!
They toured Plymouth Fish Market and became international citizen scientists by taking part in a Preventing Plastic Pollution litter pick, helping to keep our Ocean clean. They got hands on with local marine life by rock pooling at Mount Batten and experienced what its like to be a real life marine biologist by going behind the scenes at our National Marine Aquarium.
As Marine Park Ambassadors, these 71 young people were given the opportunity to volunteer with us to gain further skills in the field of conservation communication. They helped us run activities at SailGP and STEMGP at the Lido, connecting hundreds of people with the Ocean. They took part in CREW training to gain self-confidence and used the skills gained in this training to host at the National Marine Aquarium.
Hear what some of the participants have to say about the experience in the video below.
Keep an eye out for 2022 dates, coming soon!