Reaching over 120 countries this year, Parley’s youth community has expanded to 5,600+ passionate Ocean Guardians sharing the mission of learning, connecting and taking action to protect the oceans. Ocean Uprisers have led over 60 initiatives tackling social and environmental issues, including 35 cleanups, 12 virtual talks, 1 summer internship, 10 internship-led actions, 2 alumni sessions and much more. We’ve given the Ocean Uprise presentation, sharing our knowledge with organizations, clubs and schools in 40+ countries, recruiting hundreds of passionate youth to join the movement – #fortheoceans.

Our action-packed year kicked off with a new program of virtual talks providing a monthly dose of inspiration with the world’s top ocean leaders and innovators. We’ve now successfully completed a total of 12 Virtual Talks with 24 ocean leaders and had 525+ participants from around the globe joining these sessions, getting connected and inspired to take action in their local communities.

With so much interest and 60+ fantastic applications, OU has also expanded its Internship Initiative. The Ocean Uprise program brings together youth from all corners of the world to connect, be inspired by leading ocean experts, and learn how to design, plan, and implement their own community projects. Interns created and engaged in various community initiatives across the seven seas – take a look at the accomplishments of our 2021 interns in our overview deck. In 2022, we will be expanding this opportunity, hosting three more Internships for passionate and curious young people.

Team members and friends of OU joined Clubhouse hosting a variety of discussions around ocean themes with more than 2,000 participants who tuned in to share their perspectives and collaborate on ideas. This sparked some great relationships and connections. We are grateful for you Clubhouse, even though you’re no longer hip :)

Over the summer, selected Ocean Uprise team members supported the building of the AIR Station Hawai’i, a communal hub focused on education, ocean immersion, art installations, plastic upcycling and collaboration. The OU team gave educational presentations, workshops and co-led engaging events for the surrounding neighborhoods on O’ahu.

Through your support in these efforts, the Ocean Uprise team has raised over $2,300 from our Fundraise For the Oceans campaign to sponsor under-resourced interns and build capital for the intended summer 2022 Youth Leadership Summit. Special shout out to “little legend Luca” who donated the $700 he raised to Parley’s Global Cleanup Network!

As we look towards 2022, we’re stoked to continue our work with youth in protecting the oceans, welcoming Ocean Guardians into our growing family, and dedicating our efforts towards ocean inspiration, action, health and equity. We can’t wait to collaborate, learn and support all of the incredible work youth around the globe are spearheading in their communities. We ask that everyone join us in this movement, as your unique skill sets and passions add a tremendous amount of value to our collective efforts.

Thank you for being part of this inspiring, global network of rising environmental leaders and for making 2021 monumental for Ocean Uprise. Happy Holidays and see you all in 2022!