Month: April 2022

To acknowledge our time in this virtual space, SeeChangeMakers pulled together various updates on previous interviews of people and organizations from the last 2 years. To acknowledge the importance of EARTH DAY, these interview updates will be spread over the week from the 18^th to the 23^rd.

 Ocean Wise has been a hallmark here on the West Coast of Canada for decades. As SeeChangeMakers 2021 article pointed out, the Vancouver Aquarium was Ocean Wise’s birthplace. Through the pandemic, a variety of changes occurred. Currently, the organization has flowed with the current change by streamlining its rebranding. One of their recent directives is called Waves of Change and it shares a philosophy that “bringing together and empowering youth turns the tide on climate change where many ripples make a wave.”

RECAP

In April 2021, I interviewed Michelle Bienkowski, Facilitator & Program Leader for the Ocean Wise’s Youth to Sea Leadership Program. This was a real eyeopener on how Ocean Wise is creating feasible avenues to engage the public. Taken from last year’s post, I mentioned that “Youth is the central tennet for their key initiatives. This has been one of the reasons for the rapid growth of the Youth to Sea Leadership Program since its inception in 2019.” While many projects have been led by these 15–18-year-olds, no task is too small. Bienkowski said the main criterion for all projects is that they are initiated and led by the youth. Program Leaders are facilitators only. Hearing about the variety of creative projects and ideas establishes how reliable Ocean Wise’s current mandate is.

Impacts of Youth Service

Recently, Lasse Gustavsson, CEO of Ocean Wise, has been getting the word out to high school students directly. He recently addressed the North Vancouver SD44 Climate Action and Sustainability Week from April 11-14, 2022. Gustavsson reminded his audience that there are “1.8 billion children in the world today and they will lead the way” in helping to make our oceans greener and cleaner. The application deadline is fast approaching. The 2022’s intake for the Youth to Sea Leadership Program ends on April 24^th.

Placements for Young Adults

Other youth-based directives are the Youth Bridge Programs offered to 18–30-year-olds. The Ocean Bridge Direct Action program offers a 3-month full-time immersive engagement. It offers young students and professionals an opportunity to gather firsthand experience in oceanic and aquatic conservation with marine specialists. This program runs from April-October.

The second program is the Ocean Bridge Classic. The classic program is a similar platform but in an expanded 6-month part-time program. They are currently recruiting from the East Coast region of Canada for a May – October 2022 enrollment.

Each program requires an initial Expression of Interest which can be in any media format that resonates with the applicant. These could be anything from an essay to an art portfolio. The intention is for learners to establish how the program will foster their passion for oceans and freshwaters. Learn more about Ocean Wise’s Youth Programs or other Climate Action initiatives at Ocean.org

RECAP

To begin with, FAUN Studios, the design company conceptualized in 2018 by Marisa P. Clark was our FALL 2020 interview. Clark is a young business graduate and fashion expert from Calgary, Alberta. She decided to make an impact on the fashion scene by recognizing the need for more sustainable choices. Conscientious manufacturing decisions such as “where and how the fashion line would be made” were part of her initial mandate. FAST FASHION was NOT a model, she wanted to replicate. She explained in our interview that manufacturing in her mother’s home country of Vietnam was important. Also, maintaining a classic fashion line was integral for long-lasting globally conscious fashion. Here is a link to the original webpage and interview which took place shortly after Vancouver Fashion Week in October 2020.

FASHION in 2022

Recently, Faun Studios brought their current Fall/Winter 2022/2023 line to Vancouver Fashion week this  April 7-10^th, 2022. Vancouver Fashion Week is the second largest fashion week in North America. Faun’s Fall/Winter Collection featured beautifully abstracted pastel landscapes on full legged knit pants and tops. Also, another new feature this year was her introduction of eco-dyed wool and recycled deadstock material used in the recent designs. With these cute little knit vests and skirts, this year’s line up really shows how Clark is expanding on her sustainable creations. The last post I read on her Instagram and Facebook pages, stated she is off to Europe. I’m sure this is part of the international expansion of the FAUN Studios fashion line. CHECK OUT her latest creations here:

Make sure to stay tuned to many more beautiful artful and climate-conscious designs from FAUN STUDIOS.

FAUN STUDIOS Webpage