Programs

Tanzania | Heroes of the Indian Ocean

Alex used immersive storytelling to bring audiences into Tanzania’s marine ecosystems. Through virtual reality documentary filmmaking and augmented reality tools, he explored how creative technology deepens emotional connection to ocean conservation.

Accomplishments:

• Produced a 360° mini-series documentary on how coastal communities depend on the Indian Ocean for fishing, seaweed farming, and tourism, highlighting coral reef destruction due to climate change and human activities and showcasing youth-led and nonprofit organizations advocating for policy change and reef restoration.
• Three augmented reality Snapchat lenses about ocean advocacy with over 115,000 plays
• Created a documentary webpage
• Planned an exhibition and panel discussion with Alliance De Francaise

Pakistan | Create for Our Lives

Ali Nasir led art and climate education workshops for elementary students in climate-vulnerable communities outside Lahore, Pakistan, blending creative expression with foundational climate science and justice concepts. Students who began with little prior knowledge developed the ability to define key climate terms, question dominant narratives, and express their environmental anxieties and hopes through multimedia artwork.

Accomplishments:

• Implemented 13 art and climate education workshops for 50+ students in grades 3–5 at two schools in Hasukh Ilm-o-idara and Aligarh Public School System, providing colored pencils, watercolor, brushes, and sketchbooks.
• Designed a multi-session curriculum that blended climate science, socio-emotional learning, and creative arts.
• Workshops had a very low attrition rate, and students and teachers requested more sessions. The youth were inspired after the workshops to voluntarily participate in more environmental events.

United States | Save Our Salmon (SOS) Mural Series

• Embedded conservation art into schools: Went directly into schools to give talks and lead hands-on art workshops, guiding approximately 400 students in creating laser-cut salmon that were installed on school fences and weaving art projects into existing curricula.
• Expanded public engagement through large-scale art and events: Created new murals and 3D sculptures, developed educational signage, hosted a “FishFest” event with the mayor and poet, collaborated with PangeaSeed on a new mural, and evolved the project to highlight interconnected species such as orca whales.
• Generated funding and a scalable model for community action: Auctioned two paintings in partnership with the band Train, raising over $8,000 for conservation efforts, and created a public blog with practical guidance to help others lead mural projects in their own communities — reinforcing the idea that every community has a species to protect and a blank wall to spark awareness.

Nepal | “Paribartan Ko Lagi Kala” (Art for Change)

Bimochan worked to efficiently manage plastic waste in rural Nepal by bringing back traditional, eco-friendly art forms through community-based workshops and education. By combining indigenous knowledge, creative arts, and climate resilience training, he supported community members and students in replacing single-use plastics and exploring resource-efficient green enterprises.

Accomplishments:

• Engaged 59 community members across three workshops to create biodegradable substitutes such as doko, tapari, and cloth bags that practically replaced single-use plastics in many homes
• Delivered climate resilience training to more than 180 pupils and worked with government departments while co-authoring the “Ground Up” guide to empower young people in setting up green enterprises
• Created a large community mural in a high-visibility area as a constant reminder to “Stop Plastic Pollution,” reaching more than 500 community members

Indonesia | Diverseas

Brigitta’s project, Diverseas, improved ocean literacy through immersive 360-degree virtual reality filmmaking, workshops, and creative education initiatives that connected people to marine ecosystems and conservation action. Through films on Raja Ampat’s biodiversity and sea turtle conservation, the Blue Roots Scholarship for young women in Bali, in-person workshops, online modules, and a musical drama integrating ocean literacy into schools, she used creative arts to make marine science accessible and actionable.

Accomplishments:

• Produced two 360-degree films on Raja Ampat and sea turtle conservation with open-access lesson plans for immersive ocean literacy programming and conducted six workshops reaching 200+ participants in 6 cities across three countries, collecting 100+ unique pledges to take action for marine conservation
• Launched a six week hybrid training program for young women in Bali to run workshops in their communities
• Amplified impact globally presenting at 20+ conferences in 8+ countries reaching thousands of people
• Co-developed a musical drama about Indonesia’s marine environment with 80 fifth-grade students

Indonesia | DiveHer

Through her Fellowship, Emma built a platform that highlights Indonesian women working in marine science and conservation and shares opportunities for young Indonesians and aspiring activists. Her project combined storytelling, creative design, and website development to create access and pathways for others.

Accomplishments:

• Published 12 edited interviews featuring Indonesian women working in marine science and conservation across four provinces in Indonesia as well as filmed four additional interviews
• Built a fully functioning website from scratch, learning how to code so she can independently update and maintain the platform
• Created an opportunities page and short videos to promote the platform, reaching over 10,000 views

Kenya | Embracing Maasai Culture to Safeguard Our Environment

Fredrick’s project positioned Maasai heritage as a conservation methodology, demonstrating that culture and conservation aren’t competing values, they’re inseparable aspects of Maasai identity and environmental stewardship. Through culturally resonant approaches, including beadwork, storytelling, music, festivals, and hands-on conservation, his initiative transformed environmental action into a community-led cultural movement.

Accomplishments:

• Mobilized culture as conservation action, educating 200+ community members (including 100+ youth) and hosted a three-day Cultural Manyatta and Beadwork Festival with 500+ participants.
• Hosted community workshops, crafting 50 environmental-themed beadworks by women artisans, documenting 8 traditional environmental stories from elders, and developing 6 conservation-themed songs adopted by schools and performed at community gatherings. These sessions also served as knowledge-sharing circles discussing environmental challenges and traditional solutions.
• Delivered measurable environmental outcomes, planting 750 indigenous trees with an 85% survival rate, removing 850kg of waste through three major river clean-ups along the Ewaso Ng’iro River system, and establishing three water quality monitoring stations.
• Built lasting community infrastructure, establishing environmental clubs at two schools engaging 45 students and training 6 teachers, developing monitoring systems tracking both environmental metrics and cultural preservation indicators, and creating ethical guidelines for sharing traditional knowledge while ensuring retention of community ownership. Also received project replication requests from three neighboring Maasai communities.

Afghanistan | Voice of the Kunar River: A Creative Journey through Climate Change

Irshad’s project raised environmental awareness in Kunar Province through creative expression, storytelling, and community engagement. The project helped people emotionally connect with climate change, especially how it affects the Kunar River and those who depend on it. Through poetry readings, storytelling sessions, and youth-focused workshops, he helped transform climate conversations from technical discussions into deeply human, emotional, and community-driven experiences.

Accomplishments:

• Reached several hundred community members and over one hundred young people through poetry readings, storytelling sessions, and youth-focused workshops that created safe spaces to discuss drought, changing weather patterns, and environmental challenges.
• Raised awareness about climate change and water protection in Kunar Province while engaging diverse community members in open dialogue including youth, farmers, and elders.
• Empowered young people to use poetry and art as tools for expression and advocacy, demonstrating how creative storytelling can humanize climate change and inspire responsibility.

United States | FiberFusion: Merging Art and Scientific Innovation

Jing’s project combined engineering, laboratory research, and creative arts to address plastic pollution by designing tools that advance microplastics research while making the issue more visible to broader audiences. She developed a microplastic production device, which she is now using to mass-produce microfibers for a goldfish exposure study. She created a fluorescent microplastic painting displayed under UV light, connecting scientific investigation with visual storytelling to complement ongoing research and encourage public engagement with plastic pollution issues.

Accomplishments:

• Designed and built a fully functional 3D-printed microplastic production device with a geneva drive that reduces operation from two researchers to one and is now used to mass-produce microfibers; she has decided to patent the device as a provisional improvement patent.
• Developed and conducted a microplastic exposure study on goldfish using the microplastic production device to examine retention rates across different plastic types and sizes.
• Created a novel, microfiber-based paint and what is possibly the world’s first fluorescent microplastic painting displayed under UV light to raise awareness about hidden microplastics.

Madagascar | Blue Days at Schools

Nomena conducted one of the first education projects in her community focused specifically on marine ecosystems and biodiversity for middle school students, addressing a gap in marine education within Madagascar’s schools. Through interactive workshops combining discussions, panels with marine professionals, videos, and artistic materials, her project helped students understand the beauty and importance of Madagascar’s marine environments while strengthening awareness for ocean protection.

Accomplishments:

• Developed interactive workshops integrating science and art that brought marine education to four schools across Toliara and Antananarivo, engaging approximately 200 students
• Shifted school attitudes toward marine education, with initially hesitant schools later expressing strong interest and requesting more workshops after seeing how motivated and engaged their students had become.

Kenya | Mashujaa Wa Bahari (Ocean Heroes)

Purity led a youth-driven initiative that used the creative arts and ocean literacy to deepen young people’s connection to the Kenyan Indian Ocean and inspire conservation action. Through workshops, a public art exhibition, digital outreach, and a structured leadership team, she engaged hundreds of young people and built a movement focused on protecting marine ecosystems and blue heritage.

Accomplishments:

• Engaged over 45 young people through art workshops including scientific illustration of keystone marine species and recycled art promoting a circular economy and waste management. This fostered “a deep, personal bond and lasting passion for the Indian Ocean,” and transformed participants into informed advocates.
• Curated and conducted the “Sauti ya Bahari” Marine Art Exhibition featuring 15 artworks, drawing approximately 300 young people and “empowering a new generation of ocean guardians.”
• Built sustainable project infrastructure by forming a 6-member core leadership team, recruiting 25+ volunteers, launching the official Mashujaa Wa Bahari website as a “permanent digital hub,” and executing a digital outreach campaign reaching over 500 people.

United States | The Clean and Green Initiative Environmental Children’s Books & Nature Contest

Sophie combined storytelling and youth engagement to advance environmental awareness through creative media. She developed illustrated children’s books and led an international multimedia Nature Contest inviting young people to reflect on the beauty of nature and connect more deeply with environmental issues.

Accomplishments:

• Completed a children’s book, “Everyone Deserves Clean Air,” focused on environmental justice and ready for publication, and finished all illustrations for “Stella & the Starlight Solution,” which addresses youth eco-anxiety.
• Led an international multimedia Nature Contest including photography, poetry, prose, video, drawing, and painting that received 627 entries from 10+ countries. Coordinated judging and awarded approximately $620 in prize money to winners, and announced results on social media.
• Expanded project capacity and outreach by growing The Clean and Green Initiative team by 10+ volunteers and increasing promotion after initial challenges, resulting in features by SEVENSEAS Media, NOAA Ocean Guardians, Scuttlebutt Digest, and the Jane Goodall Institute.