In less than a year, the Mission Blue Aliwal Shoal Hope Spot Youth Ambassador Programme has taken more than 150 young South Africans out to sea and into tidal pools along the Aliwal Shoal Marine Protected Area.

The programme focuses on participants from underserved communities and provides them with opportunities to snorkel in tidal pools, explore the Aliwal Shoal reef system and learn about hands-on marine conservation education through personally lived experiences.

Target groups have included young people from more rural local areas, as well as youth outreach groups from Genesis Hope South Africa and Made for More.

Claire Taylor, co-champion of the Aliwal Shoal Hope Spot and Mission Blue Youth Ambassador Programme lead for Wild Alliance Africa, said direct experiences in nature are essential to building a conservation ethic.

“You cannot protect what you do not know or love,” she said.

“Giving young people the opportunity to experience the ocean first-hand creates a lasting connection that extends far beyond the shoreline. They return home with newfound practical knowledge that could potentially influence broader perceptions, sustainable consumerism and buying habits of their families as they each become advocates for a thriving ocean within their own communities.”

Russel Symcox, Founder of Wild Alliance Africa and lead champion of the Mission Blue Aliwal Shoal Hope Spot, said the programme shows the power of connecting young people directly with nature.

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