YOLA (Youth Ocean Leadership and Advocacy) is a dynamic initiative empowering young people (18-30 yo) to act for ocean conservation and climate policy. The project, co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union, addresses the urgent threats to the health of the ocean – climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, and ocean acidification – by equipping young people with leadership, advocacy, and ocean literacy skills.
While many young people are aware of these threats, few understand the ocean’s critical role in regulating the planet’s sustainability. YOLA bridges this gap by providing a comprehensive ocean advocacy framework, empowering youth to engage in policy discussions, advocate for stronger protection, and drive local and global change.
Through co-creation workshops in France and Poland, participants will develop and test advocacy tools, which will be adapted into multilingual online training modules to reach a wider audience. YOLA also leverages digital tools and social media to modernize ocean advocacy and maximize impact.
The project aligns with key global frameworks, including the Paris Agreement, UN Sustainable Development Goals (specifically but not exclusively SDG 14 – Life Below Water), the EU’s “Restore our Ocean and Waters” mission, and the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. By training youth to engage with policymakers and lead ocean conservation initiatives, YOLA ensures that young voices shape the future of our ocean and planet.
YOLA is a collaborative effort led by Nausicaá, EurOcean, Ghent University, the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IOPAN) and Today We Have.
Together, we are building a new generation of ocean advocates committed to protecting marine ecosystems and influencing ocean governance at all levels.
