COMMUNITY CENTERED CAPACITY-BUILDING
For eight years, the Healthy Ocean Coalition has hosted advocacy trainings to build and broaden capacity in the ocean conservation movement. While originally held as in person as retreat-style trainings, the last three years have driven our work into the virtual realm. During that time the HOC expanded the style and length of our training, turning them into a successful three month Academy to match our more digital lifestyles during the pandemic. However, just last month, we finally returned to hosting in person and it was amazing. Let’s dive into our trainings. What is an HOC training?!
The HOAA means community.
With relationship building, trainings are more effective and drive more change, both internally for the participants and externally for the field of ocean conservation and ocean justice. We want folks who come together to feel a connection among their peers, a sense of camaraderie. That is the environment we try to build before, during, and after someone participates in an HOC training. We do that through virtual meetings before a training and community-building dinners during the training.
The HOAA centers experience.
By experience we mean we center our participants’ lived experiences, the nuances of their backgrounds. We create an overarching goal centering ocean conservation and ocean justice for the training cohort, but we help each participant weave their own personal narrative around their “why” and “how” to achieve the goal.
The HOAA values local partnership.
Working with local experts and amplifying voices from local communities are incredibly important components of our Academies. We co-host with a local HOC organization and ensure participants can form a regional cohort.
The HOAA broadens ocean conservation.
The HOAA’s ultimate goal is to help expand the voices of those who feel tied to the ocean and see themselves as advocates for their communities and the ocean.
The ocean is the key to combatting the climate crisis and the attending crisis humanity will shortly find ourselves in should we not drastically change how we relate to nature and each other. Our hope is that the HOAA can play a role in broadening and building the ocean conservation community with every new HOAA voice.