Unique ways to connect kids and teens to the ocean and engage them as science communicators

October 18, 2023 at 12 pm Hawai`i / 3 pm Pacific / 5 pm Central / 6 pm Eastern

Register here. 

Presented by:

• Nora Nickum, Senior Ocean Policy Manager at the Seattle Aquarium and author of Superpod: Saving the Endangered Orcas of the Pacific Northwest
• Patricia Newman, award-winning author of Planet Ocean: Why We All Need a Healthy Ocean, Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem , and A River’s Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn
• Esteban Camacho Steffensen, international muralist with major works created throughout the Pacific Northwest, Costa Rica, China, and Spain
• Alicia Keefe, NOAA Fisheries Outreach & Education Coordinator

How do we connect kids and teens to the ocean and empower them to act? Story–in all its forms. Humans are hard-wired to spin tales to create emotional connections that help us better understand the world. Join nonfiction storytellers Nora Nickum and Patricia Newman, artist Esteban Camacho Steffensen, and educator Alicia Keefe, who each have ways of translating their passion for ocean conservation and complicated ocean science into forms that entice kids and teens to ask questions, dig deeper, and engage with their communities. Together we will discover new ways to visualize concepts like climate change, ocean acidification, pollution, habitat loss, food web disruption, and underwater noise using an interdisciplinary approach that includes science, art, writing, and speaking.

Patricia and Nora will share examples from their written work as well as their live presentations with children and educators. NOAA Fisheries Outreach & Education Coordinator Alicia Keefe will highlight NOAA’s interdisciplinary Southern Resident curriculum, other NOAA educational resources, and how NOAA works with artists to advance conservation. Esteban Camacho will share images of his murals and talk about the process of creating them while working with children and youth in a variety of educational settings. His environmental murals tell stories about the crisis while also inspiring the public with the beauty of the natural world that we are striving to protect. His style also explores symbiotic relationships and the humane role we can play in the web of life. His slideshow will break down the process of creating large scale murals and encourage others to undertake their own climate mural projects! 

Register here.