After months of planning, it’s finally here; SeaFest, the largest youth-led event carried out by Sussex Wildlife Trust. The day began beneath the chalk cliffs of Rottingdean with a rockpooling session. Peregrines flew high above the group of 16-30 year old’s as they searched the rocks and seaweed to discover weird and wonderful marine wildlife, such as Pipefish and beautiful Painted Topshells. In the afternoon we moved to an ocean themed hall, where the young people heard talks from Sussex Dolphin Project, Sussex Underwater and Harbour Oysters. In between talks the attendees mingled, took ‘kelpie selfies’ and created marine wildlife art in the community craft gazebo.
The talks finished with a screening of a brilliant short film, ‘Young People in Conservation’, (with popcorn!) made by one of our Youth Rangers, Amy King. It felt like the perfect reflection of the day itself, with young people not only participating in conservation but leading discussions, sharing experiences and inspiring others to get involved. The event concluded with a coastal walk, observing Rock Pipits on the cliff and Grey Seals out at sea. SeaFest demonstrated the power of youth-led events, showing what can happen when young people are given the opportunity to shape and lead meaningful experiences for their peers.
Archie Taplin – Wilder Communities Officer
Archie Taplin at SeaFest © Kai HiltonWatching SeaFest come to life was incredibly rewarding. Supporting the Youth Rangers and Youth Forum to bring SeaFest to life allowed me to see first-hand the incredible commitment, creativity and passion the young people invested in every aspect of the event. They generated brilliant ideas, worked together to divide tasks and responsibilities, and supported one another to turn an ambitious vision into a reality.
Seeing the event sell out all 130 tickets across the three activities of the day was a testament to their hard work and a clear demonstration of the value of youth-led conservation. SeaFest showed how important it is that young people have a voice in shaping the future of conservation and the opportunities available to them. When young people are genuinely listened to, trusted and given the space to lead, they create experiences that are engaging, relevant and inspiring. I couldn’t have been prouder of what they achieved, and of the passion, teamwork and leadership they showed throughout the journey.
Katie Bell – Youth Action Officer
The leadup to seafest was so fun. Me and the others on the creative planning team were able to get together to come up with ways to share our passion for marine life with others through art. During the actual event it was lovely seeing all of our work come together – there was a great atmosphere of people excited to be in a place where we all have this common interest. I spent most of my time in the craft area, chatting about the day so far, the ongoing talks and why they came along to the event. It was great being able to meet so many new people!
Milly Rudling – Trustee and Youth Ranger
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