youth ocean conservation organization

Since 2014, inspiring youth to take action has always been core to Plastic Tides.  Now more than ever, youth leadership is vital to the success of the environmental movement.

What is GYM?

The Global Youth Mentor Program gives motivated Youth Leaders the tools and support to create lasting systemic change in their communities. Youth Leaders are paired with Mentors from all over the world and directed through change-based projects.

youth are the future

Lead the way and create a positive environmental change that educatesempowers, and inspires others in your community.

youth are the future

Lead the way and create a positive environmental change that educatesempowers, and inspires others in your community.

Our program provides students with educational resources, networking opportunities, and global perspectives on environmental crises, while also helping them to productively engage with their community to enact positive change. We are seeking self-driven students currently in grades five to eleven who want to make a change in their community and can commit time to this project.

catalyze change

We provide the steps. You provide the stairs.

catalyze change

We provide the steps.
You provide the stairs

Are you a busy professional? Have you been wanting to find an engaging and fulfilling way to support a vibrant future on planet earth? Our Youth Leaders need your guidance.  You don’t need any special skills or expertise, only a passion to support inspiring youth and a commitment of 5 hours a week.

enable progress

Support youth projects for a fraction of your monthly coffee budget.

enable progress

Support youth projects for a fraction of your monthly coffee budget.

a step by step program

Onboarding

Youth Leaders and Mentors who join GYM are onboarded onto our program platform and walked through expectations, project basics, and community. Our platform is home to all mentor and youth leader communications, provides parents access, and is monitored by our team internally. Youth Leaders can brainstorm with one another and provide each other support and mentors can troubleshoot Project hurdles by speaking with those who have successfully led their Youth Leaders over those same obstacles.

Pairing

The pairing process is straightforward and vital to project success. The program accounts for many variables to make the absolute best Mentor-Youth Leader teams.

Project Selection

GYM project ideas range broadly, but their objectives are always the same - lasting, systemic, quantitative change. Youth Leaders can work with Mentors to develop their own projects or can select from our Project Models.

Project Models

Project models are the key to the broad success of the GYM program. While we encourage Youth Leaders to develop their own projects, our models are based on proven successes around the world and give GYM teams defined steps along the way. Project models range from switching schools from plastic utensils to a sustainable alternative to campaigning locally for restaurants to stop using plastic bags. To date, our utensils model has diverted 2,000,000 single-use plastic utensils from the waste stream and our oceans!

Milestones

Mentors and Youth Leaders develop milestones and timelines at the very beginning to keep everyone on track. Plastic Tides always announces milestone achievements and works hard to feature the successes of our Youth Leaders.

Alum

Just because GYM teams have completed a project, doesn't mean their time with the program is over! GYM fosters a lasting community of changemakers and plans to develop Youth Leaders to become Mentors for the future of the program.

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