The first ‘Take the Mic’ event was recently held on Front Street, where the environment and the ocean essentially took center stage.
Take the Mic was created and hosted by Healthy Footprints Adventure Community and island partners (City of Avalon, Catalina Island Conservancy, Bleu World, and Ocean Club) as a youth-centered environmental event focused on giving young people a space to share the experiences that shaped their connection to nature and the ocean.
The youth panel included two students from Avalon, along with students from different communities throughout Southern California. Instead of formal presentations about conservation, we asked them to tell their own stories … how they first became connected to nature, the experiences that stayed with them, and the moments when they realized they wanted to help protect the places and ecosystems they had grown to care about.
That was really at the heart of Take the Mic for us … stewardship starts with a moment in nature. An experience creates a connection, that connection develops into care, and care can eventually grow into a desire to protect and give back, HFAC organizers said.
And, there are so many orgs in Avalon and elsewhere, like HF Adventure Community, that want to help their local students, they also noted.
Throughout the evening, the event also introduced to the crowd to some of the event partners and the different opportunities available for young people and families to connect with outdoor recreation, environmental education, conservation, and stewardship.
There was a community installation called “The Ocean Is Listening,” where people could leave their own messages to the ocean. Prompts included phrases like, “I love you because …” and “I promise to …” Their messages were added to a growing wave throughout the evening, creating a visual representation of all of those individual connections and commitments to the ocean.
The evening concluded with an outdoor screening of Oceans with David Attenborough, which gave everyone another opportunity to experience the beauty of the ocean and think about why protecting it matters. It also covers the global initiative of 30 by 30, protecting 30% of our oceans by 2030. If we can save our oceans, we can save our world.
“For our first Take the Mic event, I was incredibly happy with the response. It reinforced why we want to continue creating spaces where young people aren’t simply attending environmental programs, but are given opportunities to tell their stories, share their perspectives, and be part of the conversation,” Suzy Gonzalez, Executive Director, Healthy Footprints Adventure Community said. “People really listened!”
For more about Take the Mic, visit takethemic.earth or visit hfadventurecommunity.com.