Facilitating “Art For the Ocean” Workshop Aboard Peace Boat

Amy shares stories of artists using their creativity to show many different ways of using everyday materials and trash.

As a Youth Ambassador for the UN Ocean Decade, Amy presented her workshop, “How Art Can Help the Ocean,” aboard the Peace boat. This workshop was based on her research over the past 10 months as a Thomas J. Watson Fellow.

Youth activists Monique and Yuki show their illustrations of what they want the ocean to look like in 2100.

The group brainstormed ways that art can be a catalyst for change. Amy shared her experiences from interviewing and working with over 300 activists, scientists, researchers, NGOs, and community leaders. Based on her research, Amy presented six ways that she has seen art catalyze change. They are: educating, connecting, disrupting, healing, inspiring, and imagining.

Following the presentation, Amy led a guided meditation visualization, prompting the youth to imagine what they want the ocean to look like in 2100. They then created illustrations and presented them to the group. While sharing their work, several of the participants told stories of their personal and ancestral connections to the ocean and their hopes for the future.

It was particularly interesting to see where the youth’s hopes for the future overlapped and where they differed. Following the presentation, the group discussed actionable steps to make that future a reality.