Day in the Life of... Our Volunteers!

By Kimberly Ng, Project & Communications Coordinator, Sea Smart

We owe a lot to our volunteers! Like many charities, our volunteers are crucial to Sea Smart’s continued growth and widespread impact. Today we’ll be highlighting some of the awesome people who volunteer with Sea Smart to gain insight into some of the roles that help shape our organization. 

With their help, we are able to reach so many more students, and help spread awareness of ocean conservation! A huge thank you to all these passionate, and invaluable members of our team!

We asked a few of our superstar volunteers to tell us about themselves, why they choose to volunteer with Sea Smart and what their favourite ocean-friendly tip is.

MEET OUR VOLUNTEERS!

Selby Wilkinson - Social Media Volunteer

I help Sea Smart with social media by creating social posts and content captions for the Explore the Shore Challenge. One of my favourite parts about working with Sea Smart is getting to practice writing social media captions. I also like virtually engaging others with the great projects that Sea Smart is working on.

My favourite ocean-friendly tip is to cut down your carbon footprint by growing some of your own foods at home! My family and I are growing tomatoes, kale and raspberries in our backyard and have been loving using them in recipes. If you live somewhere without outdoor space, herbs are a great option to grow indoors! I help Sea Smart with social media by creating social posts and content captions for the Explore the Shore Challenge. One of my favourite parts about working with Sea Smart is getting to practice writing social media captions. I also like virtually engaging others with the great projects that Sea Smart is working on.

My favourite ocean-friendly tip is to cut down your carbon footprint by growing some of your own foods at home! My family and I are growing tomatoes, kale and raspberries in our backyard and have been loving using them in recipes. If you live somewhere without outdoor space, herbs are a great option to grow indoors!

Jamie Lee Hellard - Video Editor/ Graphic Designer

I primarily work on editing promotional and educational videos for Sea Smart, but I also help out with some graphic design tasks from time to time. I love working at Sea Smart because I get to collaborate with so many amazing employees and volunteers. I also believe that Sea Smart’s mission is extremely important and inspiring.

My ocean-friendly tip is to eat sustainable seafood! Living on the coast means that fresh seafood is readily available to me. However, it's important to me to make sure I eat sustainably harvested seafood. Understanding where the seafood we eat comes from, and making sure that it is harvested in a way that allows long term stability is crucial. Luckily here in BC, labels like Ocean Wise can help us identify sustainable seafood. Additional research can also fill any gaps in knowledge we may have to help us make informed choices!

Julius Csotonyi - Illustrator

I produce illustrations of marine life and drawing lessons. I have prepared the Sea Sketchers lessons and the intertidal marine life illustrations for the field guides for Sea Smart. I am passionate about doing what I can to help protect marine ecosystems; reaching out to children to inspire them to appreciate and show concern for marine life is a wonderfully effective and uplifting way to do this.

When you’re at the grocery store, buy smartly! Look for products that avoid by-catch and are harvested sustainably, and avoid plastic packaging as much as you can.

Veronica Madore - Online Program Volunteer

I support the Sea Smart team's online learning program development, especially with their new Ocean Defender online program. I also provide feedback and suggestions for marketing the online course to parents across Canada. I joined Sea Smart because there was a need publicized through a volunteer website and I thought I could help - and I LOVE working with the Sea Smart team.

My favourite ocean-friendly tip is to remember that we all have a role to play in protecting our oceans' animals!

Bérangère Descamps - Translator

I translate school programs, online programs and the website into French to help Sea Smart reach even more people. I wanted to work for a meaningful project, which has a direct impact on making our lives, our society and our world better. As we live on land, we tend to forget that oceans play a huge part in our lives. Oceans contribute to our well-being and we need to protect them and the marine life they are home to. It's important to raise awareness about ocean preservation and I hope that, by translating Sea Smart's program in French, this will help reach a broader audience. I fully support Sea Smart activities as their education programs are inspiring and very well thought out. Working for Sea Smart is a great opportunity to work with a friendly and welcoming team and join forces for a great cause.

There are many easy ways to contribute to the protection of our oceans. Reducing our waste, recycling, or reusing can easily become everyday habits. Choosing reusable items rather than disposable ones is really simple: I bring my reusable water bottle, cutlery and container to work every day... and now, even a reusable cloth face mask. Once you've invested in these items, you never have to worry about it again!

Interested in volunteering with Sea Smart? We're always looking for passionate, reliable volunteers who want to mentor youth and learn exciting news about our oceans from a real marine biologist.