Bow Seat Receives a $5,000 Grant from The Island Foundation, Inc.

December 19, 2023

(Boston, MA) – For the fifth consecutive year, Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs (Bow Seat) has received a grant from the Island Foundation, Inc., to support our work educating students about environmental health and climate change, and uplifting creative youth voices to inspire action in support of our blue planet.

This grant supports Bow Seat’s annual Ocean Awareness Contest, the world’s largest youth environmental program for the creative arts. Every year, the Contest invites youth to learn about and explore the connections between human activities and the health of our natural world through visual and performing arts, creative writing, film, and multimedia. More than 32,000 middle and high schoolers from all 50 U.S. states and over 140 countries have participated in the program, which has been at the forefront of introducing youth to critical issues such as climate change, plastic pollution, environmental justice, and endangered species.

Bow Seat’s 2024 Ocean Awareness Contest, “Tell Your Climate Story,” prompts students to think about climate issues and solutions and consider how they are affecting them or their communities. By sharing and receiving these personal stories, we hope that participants will find kinship with others who are going through similar events and emotions; these stories may also be a source of strength and inspiration, inciting action towards a healthier and more sustainable world.

The Island Foundation’s generous support will help Bow Seat:

• Engage students from our home state of Massachusetts, to bring attention to how the climate crisis impacts us locally.
• Help Massachusetts educators sponsor their students’ participation in the Contest, to encourage interdisciplinary and intersectional environmental learning.
• Support our art exhibitions and educational workshops, to provide educators and students with enrichment activities that teach about climate change and creative advocacy.
• For all the above goals, increase engagement among those who are most affected, but often underrepresented, in conservation efforts, especially voices of color.

“We have appreciated the Island Foundation’s generous support, flexibility, and care over the past several years,” said Linda Cabot, founder and president of Bow Seat. “We are thrilled to be able to continuing providing a safe platform for youth to share their climate stories and to educate others about their realities – we know this process can be cathartic and empowering.”

The 2024 Ocean Awareness Contest is open now through June 10, 2024, to middle and high school students ages 11-18 worldwide.

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About Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs: Bow Seat is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that educates and engages youth in ocean conservation and advocacy through the arts. Visit bowseat.org for more information about Bow Seat’s programs, educational resources, and global collection of student artwork.