September 22, 2023
Welcome Jeremy Pivor, Bow Seat’s New Partnership & Youth Engagement Director!
With over a decade of experience in environmental conservation, international climate change diplomacy, and public health, Jeremy will be responsible for leading the growth of our Fellowship Grant Program, as well as cultivating partnerships with our global community of stakeholders.
August 10, 2023
Let’s Talk About Menstruation: Normalizing Conversations About Periods in Nepal
Chhaupadi, a regressive social tradition of isolating menstruating girls and women outside their homes, persists in some regions of Nepal, despite an official ban. Bishal Panthi from Lumbini Province in Nepal became acutely aware of these issues when he saw young girls in his community experience shame and anguish each month while on their period. “I was really affected [by this experience], which strengthened my resolve to affect real change and make sure that no girl or woman in our community ever has to go through such suffering once more.”
July 5, 2023
Eco-Marathon: Running for a Greener World
“Run for a greener world!” is the slogan of the Eco-Marathon conducted by the Youth Environmental Movement (YEM), a network that unites institutions to promote a circular economy and encourage environmental education from an early age. Our current environmental problems do require all of us to run and act as quickly as possible to help solve them, and that was what all 170 participants of the Eco-Marathon did. Students, teachers, special guests, alumni, and others took part to spread awareness about the importance of recycling and the power of our individual actions.
May 30, 2023
Bow Seat and the Future Blue Youth Council Announce the Newest Cohort of Fellowship Program Grantees
We are thrilled to introduce the 11 new grantees selected for the Fellowship Grant Program so far this year! These grantees represent 7 countries–Cameroon, Colombia, Malawi, Nepal, Nigeria, United Kingdom, and United States–and will be addressing pressing environmental problems such as plastic pollution, textile waste, clean energy, water scarcity, and threatened species in impactful and creative ways. Each grantee was was paired with FBYC members who will provide ongoing mentorship and support with project management, communications and outreach, partnership development, fundraising, and more.
May 30, 2023
TeamUpcyclers: Transforming Girls’ Lives by Creatively Reusing Clothing Waste
Growing up in Nigeria, a country that generates 32 million tonnes of solid waste per year, Grace witnessed the terrible issue of improper waste disposal from a very young age. This problem lingered for years without improvement—until November 2022 when, during a family dinner, her oldest sister talked about a friend who had taught a group of students how to make reusable sanitary pads.
February 8, 2023
Karina Samuel: Saying “Bye Bye” to Plastic Bags and “Hello” to Environmental Justice
Meet our newest Fellowship grantee from Coral Springs, Florida! Karina founded Bye Bye Plastic Bags Florida to raise awareness about the harmful impact of plastic on the environment, but it has evolved into an intersectional activist group that also focuses on eco-racism, climate justice, and pro-environmental policymaking.
January 10, 2023
Celebrating the Accomplishments of our 2022 Fellowship Program Grantees
Last year, Bow Seat and the Future Blue Youth Council (FBYC) launched the inaugural Fellowship Grant Program. Students ages 13-19 worldwide were invited to propose projects that meet the program goals of educating the public about a water-related problem, engaging others in activities to address the issue, and advocating for creative and realistic solutions. Seven grantees representing six countries–India, Mongolia, Poland, Sri Lanka, the United States, and Zimbabwe–were selected to join the first Fellowship cohort. Each grantee was awarded between $280-$1,000 USD, for a total of $5,385, and was paired with FBYC members who provided mentorship and support throughout the year.
January 6, 2023
The Magic of Matogi’s Murals
The brick walls of the long-abandoned water temple in the Himalayan village of Matogi have been given a new life through 16-year-old Udayan Saha’s community project. His project’s success, which culminated in ‘Magical Matogi,’ a local Wall Mural Festival in late May 2022, was a long time coming. Early in the year, he had begun visiting local schools to engage in environmental education, informing fellow teenagers about the importance of the water cycle, and how it ties into every aspect of our lives.
January 3, 2023
Meet Bow Seat’s 2023 Future Blue Youth Council!
Please join Bow Seat in giving a warm welcome to the 2023 Future Blue Youth Council (FBYC)! Selected from an incredibly competitive pool of applicants, the FBYC is a group of Bow Seat alumni who work together to empower their peers to advocate for our blue planet. These 14 Council members are activists, educators, artists, writers, and leaders in their community who have unique experiences creatively advocating for the environment.
October 15, 2022
The Fellowship Grant Program is Open for Applications… With Some Exciting New Changes!
In 2021, Bow Seat and our Future Blue Youth Council launched the Fellowship Grant Program to provide funding and mentorship to young people from around the world who are addressing water-related challenges in their communities. We are excited to open applications for the Fellowship Grant Program again, with improvements that will help it to better address the needs of our Bow Seat community!
September 21, 2022
The 2023 Future Blue Youth Council Application is Now Open!
The Future Blue Youth Council (FBYC) is a diverse, international group of Bow Seat program alumni who work together to advance our mission and to empower their peers to advocate for our environment. We are excited to begin accepting applications for our third FBYC cohort!
May 3, 2022
Get to Know the 2022 Future Blue Youth Council Members!
We are so excited to introduce the members of the 2022 Future Blue Youth Council (FBYC)! The Council members mentor grantees of the international Fellowship Program, a by-youth, for-youth FBYC initiative that provides funding and guidance to young people who are addressing water-related challenges in their local communities. FBYC members also contribute their ideas and insight to influence and inform Bow Seat’s educational programming and outreach.
January 7, 2022
Announcing Bow Seat’s 2022 Future Blue Youth Council!
We are so excited to announce the members of our 2022 Future Blue Youth Council (FBYC)! Launched last year as a way to connect young members of our community, the FBYC is a group of Bow Seat alumni who work together to empower their peers to advocate for our blue planet. Coming from all over the world, this year’s Council members are activists, environmental scientists, scuba divers, artists, musicians, and writers dedicated to using their creative voices to speak out for our oceans.
December 9, 2021
Bow Seat and the Future Blue Youth Council Announce the 2022 Student Fellowship Grantees
We are thrilled to announce the grantees selected for the 2022 Fellowship Program, a new by-youth, for-youth grant initiative created by the inaugural Future Blue Youth Council that provides funding and mentorship to young people who are addressing water-related challenges in their local communities. We look forward to working with these inspiring young leaders in the new year to help their projects thrive and make a difference in their communities!
September 8, 2021
Ocean-Loving Bow Seat Alums: Join the 2022 Future Blue Youth Council!
As we near the end of an amazing inaugural year with our 2021 cohort, we are excited to open applications for the 2022 Future Blue Youth Council!
The Future Blue Youth Council (FBYC) is a diverse group of young people working together to advance Bow Seat’s mission and to empower their fellow peers to advocate for our environment. Council members are paid to serve one-year terms as project managers, advisors, and creative idea generators!
June 30, 2021
Introducing the Future Blue Youth Webinars: A Closer Look Into Our Programs & Other Youth Initiatives
By Ainsley Cunningham, Future Blue Youth Council member
The Future Blue Youth Council (FBYC) has been working on a host of webinars designed to inspire you and help you direct your passion for the environment toward a defined project or initiative. In case you missed these webinars live, I’ll be summarizing each of them in this post and letting you know how to watch the full recordings!
May 28, 2021
Announcing the Fellowship Program!
We are so excited to announce the launch of the inaugural Fellowship Program, which provides mentorship and $250-$1,000 grants to young people developing projects that address water-related challenges.
You might be thinking: I’m just one student, what difference can I make? But as Rumi once said, “You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean, in a drop.” The changes you make can make a real difference both in your community and globally, and the Future Blue Youth Council wants to support you along the way!
Here’s what a few of our members have to say about why this Fellowship is important to them: