Students learn to love the ocean

National Observer

3 days ago

These in-their-own-words pieces are told to Patricia Lane and co-edited with input from the interviewee for the purpose of brevity.
Kanchan Lal helps young people fall in love with the ocean. As managing director of Vancouver-based Sea Smart, she oversees programs that inspire thousands of students to explore, understand and protect marine life and coastal ecosystems.
Tell us about your project.
After 15 years of studying threatened marine animals, Dr. Elaine Leung was heartbroken to realize that more than 30 of the species with which she had interacted would go extinct within her lifetime. At the same time, climate anxiety is wreaking havoc on people's mental health, especially if they are young. Dr Leung founded Sea Smart to help meet both these challenges by giving youths the knowledge and tools to take action to protect the ocean.
Since 2016, Sea Smart's programs, including school workshops and summer camps, have reached 43,000 kids, and our online programs have reached an additional one million worldwide. We focus on women and girls as they are disproportionately represented in the fields of science, technology, environment and mathematics. Our programs are accessible to all individuals, offering low cost and often no fees, making environmental education accessible to all.
Through Sea Smart programs, youths get hands-on. They might dip their hands or feet in the water and discuss the temperature and whether it is likely to be too warm for various kinds of life. We talk about how long it takes moss on the surrounding trees to grow and encourage them to think about that before they peel it off. They dip into tide pools and look under rocks, examine crabs and kelp and discuss the impact of plastic on marine life. We might explore diversity in orca pods and talk about what they eat and what happens if salmon runs are low.
We also teach them they have a voice. They take their teachings home. Some might talk to their parents about reducing plastic. Others might write letters letting decision-makers know they care and asking them to protect the ocean environment.
Kanchan Lal helps young people fall in love with the ocean. As managing director of Vancouver-based Sea Smart, she oversees programs that inspire thousands of students to explore, understand and protect marine life and coastal ecosystems.
How did you get into this work?
I did my university education in history and politics and my earlier work was in museum education. As I spent more time explaining how the world used to be, I came to see that our environment has always been the backdrop for our changing societies. I decided I wanted to foreground it.
What makes it hard?
A lot of my work is juggling priorities.
What worries you?
I worry that we have so little time left to turn things around, and we have done irreversible damage to our environment. I see cities and towns burn and wonder if mine will be next.
What gives you hope?
These children know what is going on, and they are not staying silent. They want answers and they want change. They are holding everyone accountable and this is motivating.
How did the way you were raised impact where you are now?
My mother is extremely kind. She taught me to value people and the natural world equally, and treat it with empathy and respect. I am excited to see children feel inspired and equipped to protect their natural world after getting to know it a bit better.
What do you see if we get this right?
It is easier for us to move away from habits that harm other humans and the Earth because we have learned empathy and see ourselves as connected.
What would you like to say to other young people?
Continue to be loud! Feisty is needed. Don't worry unduly about rough edges or getting it perfect. My generation was taught to keep their opinions to themselves for the most part. While this is a useful skill in creating a pleasant interaction, we have run out of time for pleasantries. We need to speak the truth even if it makes others uncomfortable.
What about older readers?