Healthy Ocean Advocacy Academy
Savannah, Georgia
May 15-17, 2023
ocean and community advocacy for a healthy south atlantic
We welcome anyone based in Georgia, Northern Florida, and South Carolina to register for the 14th cohort of our Healthy Ocean Advocacy Academy! Our Spring 2023 cohort is perfectly timed for participants to prepare advocacy actions for National Ocean Month, World Ocean Day, and Capitol Hill Ocean Week, are all coming up in June 2023.
Heart of savannah’s Historic District
After several years of hosting these academies virtually, we are thrilled to announce that we will be hosting this event in a hybrid style featuring two virtual sessions then a two day gathering from the evening of May 15 to the afternoon of May 17 at the DeSoto Hotel in Savannah, Georgia.
The spring 2023 training will consist of 2 virtual sessions and 2 days of in person advocacy training days.
The training is free of charge for participants. All accommodations, meals, and travel will be covered by the Healthy Ocean Coalition.
Part I: Virtual Training
Monday, May 1st, 5-6pm: Orientation. Meet fellow cohort members and training staff. Discuss goals, roadmap for next three weeks.
Tuesday May 9th: Introduction to Federal Advocacy Session. We will lay the groundwork for federal ocean governance, detail the key players and agencies charged with ocean and coastal management. Highlight federal priorities in the ocean justice and conservation space.
*The dates and times for the virtual orientation and intro to federal advocacy will be set based on participants' availability*
PART II: IN-PERSON TRAINING
Monday, May 15: Travel Day. Visit for an inside look at (not yet open to the public) Gray’s Reef Discovery Center, Short Film showing Right Whale, Wrong Color. Welcome dinner at Folklore Restaurant.
Tuesday, May 16: Day 1: Building Our Voices for Ocean Justice and Conservation. Day one will focus on reviewing the importance of federal advocacy, priorities in Congress and the federal Administration, discussion of how these issues are showing up in participants’ advocacy work, highlight issues in the Southeast including Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary and North Atlantic Right Whales. Then using those connection points we will focus on centering participants’ individual advocacy goals and begin discussing development of a tangible advocacy framework.
Day one ends with a group dinner at Cha Bella Restaurant.
Wednesday, May 17: Day 2. The Tools for Advocacy. Day two will begin by continuing to explore each participants’ advocacy goals through ethical storytelling, and choosing the right message and messengers. Once participants have developed their advocacy goal, ask, and decisionmaker, the rest of the day will focus on packaging your advocacy through decision-maker meetings, external communications through traditional and social media opportunities. Day two is an interactive day of workshopping ideas, practicing messaging, and engaging amongst the cohort. Day one ends with a group reflection and development of next steps for participants’ summer 2023 ocean action plan.
Group Networking
Having time to relax and get to know each other is just as important as the training content. We focus on self care breaks and fun dinners and optional excursions to give participants a retreat-like feeling. This includes a visit to the Gray’s Reef Discovery Center, a welcome dinner at Folklore Restaurant, and a group dinner to farm to table restaurant Cha Bella.
Why attend?
These are engaging events that build partnerships, expertise, and are designed to ensure you walk away with the necessary tools and experiences to be a confident advocate. Even if you are already an advocate in your everyday work, this training will help you build on your skills to educate your members of Congress and federal agency staff on ocean and climate policies.
During the academy, you will build relationships with your fellow participants and the trainers, participate in interactive dialogues and workshops guided by leaders in the ocean and advocacy communities as well as have opportunities to take advocacy action before, during, and post-training. Each module's content builds on the ones prior, ultimately resulting in clear, concise messaging and actionable next steps.
Following the academy, all participants will also become part of our Healthy Ocean Coalition community where they will stay informed about all things U.S. federal ocean policy, have the opportunity to build connections with ocean advocates across the country, have the HOC leadership team as an advocacy support system, and have access to future advocacy events.
what about covid?
Your health and our health is very important to us. It’s why we’ve been hosting these trainings virtually since 2020. COVID-19 is still impacting communities around the United States and we take that very seriously. Everyone has a different comfort level in participating in group settings. It’s important to us that you feel comfortable. If you feel sick the week of the in person sessions, please stay home. You can either take the next in-person or virtual training series. We will provide rapid antigen covid tests and ask that each participant take one in the morning before coming to the training space to minimize exposure each morning. We will have masks on hand should anyone want to wear one at any point and we will ask as part of our community agreements that we all respect each other’s comfort level in masking.
The Healthy Ocean Coalition: Helping Advocates Raise their Voice for the Ocean
each cohort will work to:
Build an ocean advocacy community.
Develop a deeper understanding of administrative & legislative advocacy and its importance.
Learn about current federal Administrative policy priorities around equitable ocean conservation and access to nature and how it relates to the Southeast United States.
Develop an advocacy goal around a federal ocean policy.
Identify, shape, and hone storytelling to support the advocacy goal.
Develop relationships, practice a decision-maker meeting, then host a meeting with your cohort to support the advocacy goal.
Develop communications via media relations to support the advocacy goal.
Develop communications via social media to support the identified advocacy goal.
Leave the training ready to advocate for this or any other advocacy goal!The Healthy Ocean Coalition has been hosting Healthy Ocean Advocacy Trainings since 2016. The HOC training series has been our premiere outreach and advocacy event. It is a sought after advocacy tool for local and regional ocean, coastal, and community advocates around the country.
When the Heathy Ocean Advocate Academy cohort ends, each Healthy Ocean Advocate leaves with:
A certificate of achievement.
A personalized Ocean Advocate Plan (OAP) that contains their advocacy goal and actions taken.
A community of HOC Network members to draw from in support of their action plan and professional goals.
Monthly check-ins for 3 months with the HOC Leadership team to help complete their OAP.
Access to the HOC Network - webinars, mini-workshops and trainings, and information sharing on hot topics on equitable ocean conservation policy.
testimonials
“Most people don't realize that they can engage with their politicians. It's very empowering to learn this is even possible and even more empowering to learn the ways to engage effectively.”
2022 participant
“It [the Academy] provided me with the knowledge and network to advance my advocacy work and I would love to see that for anyone wanting to be involved in ocean advocacy.”
2022 participant
“The training was such a rich and valuable experience. You presented relevant information that is directly applicable to my job and personal objectives.”
2018 trainee
Meet the Academy Issue Experts
& training team
Mackenzie Solomon
White House Council on Environmental Quality
Issue Expert
Hermina Glass-Hill
Susie King Taylor Institute, Oceana
Issue Expert. HOC Advisor
David Riera
Adjunct Professor, Floria International University
HOC Advisor, Issue Expert
Stan Rogers
Superintendent, Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary
Issue Expert
Sarah Winter Whelan
HOC Executive Director
Jenna Valente
HOC Director of Advocacy