Enrich your career in the environmental sector by volunteering with The Ocean Explorer Academy

Flo & Rhiannon OEA volunteers on beach

With volunteering opportunities available to join our education programme, we had a chat with a couple of our brilliant Ocean Explorer Academy (OEA) volunteers, Flo and Rhiannon, to discuss why they got involved and how it is benefitting their future careers in the environmental sector.

Firstly, a little bit about what we do…

The Ocean Explorer Academy (OEA) is a bespoke environmental education programme delivered to North Devon local students over 6 half-day sessions. We get immersed in nature in a fun, empowering way, nurturing a connected community of planet-saving superheroes.

We explore sand dunes, beaches, rockpools, woodlands and other local landscapes, in collaboration with local and national conservation organisations; a new experience for many of them.

Students get involved with a variety of local experts with bucket loads of experience and passion. They learn how our experts got into nature-related work and how we support them onwards along their journey into conservation-based mindsets, priorities and careers.

Spending time immersed in nature isn’t just good for our physical and mental health and wellbeing, it’s also critical if the next generation is going to take action to protect the planet. Beyond the 6 week programme, we create ongoing opportunities for students and their families to join local conservation opportunities.  

Read more about our education & outreach programmes

Why volunteer with The Ocean Explorer Academy?

a) What made you want to volunteer with Plastic Free North Devon?

FLO:
I have long been aware of PFND and their amazing work, but have not yet had the time/opportunity to get involved in between uni terms, as I have been working. Now that I've finished uni, I finally had the time this summer to join the charity and share everything I've learnt over the last 3 years. I also began the job hunt, so was looking for an extra boost to my CV, for which PFND is absolutely perfect.

RHIANNON:
I heard about PFND through a friend whilst I was down in Devon doing some seasonal work to save up for volunteering programmes abroad and was very pleased to find an organisation making a difference within the fascinating area of North Devon. 

After graduating from uni, I had been on the lookout for internships and volunteering opportunities to help build my career. PFND looked like a great way to get involved with some outreach and conservation work and to gain some more experience in the field and engage with other local marine environment enthusiasts.

b) What do you gain from volunteering with the Ocean Explorer Academy programme?

FLO:
The OEA allows for so much personal development and acquisition of soft skills, such as communication, team work, self-motivation, enthusiasm, organisation, interpersonal skills, creativity, initiative (I could go on... include as many/few as you see fit!), all of which are absolutely essential in later life and which all employers ask for. These are skills that can only come from jobs/work experience/volunteering, and the latter is a fantastic way to develop these skills in a lower pressure environment, and anyone can become a volunteer. Volunteering also demonstrates a pure commitment to whatever cause the charity supports, which employers love to see. In addition to this though, I have the opportunity to give back and look after the area I call home, which of course feels amazing!

RHIANNON:
The programme has allowed me to network with some fantastic like-minded people and discover a variety of different career paths/research interests. Sharing my knowledge and experience with the younger generations has allowed me to build on my own communication skills and awareness of the local marine environment whilst also spreading the simple joys of just being by the ocean and being fascinated by what’s in it. Working alongside other passionate volunteers is really inspiring and uplifting, whilst volunteering itself is a great way to build my CV and keep expanding my personal skill set.

c) What do you hope to bring to the OEA programme?

FLO:
I have a 1st Class degree in Marine Biology, so I'd say I know a thing or two about the sea! My research focussed on herring gulls and figuring out what those pesky pests have been eating and why they're spending less and less time by the sea. I have lots of experience in fieldwork, including rock pooling, ecological surveys, and data collection, as well as lab work, including fish and bird pellet dissections. My university career took me to the Galapagos in January, where I had incredible opportunities ringing birds in the field, snorkelling with hammerheads and learning about marine conservation. I have also worked a fair bit in education and with young people, having been a TA, French tutor, and an au pair in Spain. I am comfortable dealing/working with children in an educational setting, and I love sharing my enthusiasm for nature and watching students learn and develop as they go. 

RHIANNON:
My background consists of a first-class degree in Marine Geography and two internships in the field of shark conservation: one in Malta and one in Albania! If I can share the knowledge I’ve acquired during my years of study and the experiences I’ve gained from working in the field, I’d be more than happy! 

My degree consisted of everything ocean-science and how humans are affecting the natural processes and global marine ecosystems. Lots and lots of field work including biodiversity surveys, hydrographic surveying and coastal management research gave me a wide range of different skills. My internships taught me all about elasmobranchs and their importance in our ecosystems and how we can research and protect them through methods such as fish market research and photo identification. I also quickly learned the importance of education and outreach, working with schools in Malta to teach the pupils about how important and fascinating (and non-terrifying) sharks truly are. I also carried out guided snorkel surveys with the students to explore the practical side of marine conservation through photo-ID methods of studying the local bull ray populations.

d) What's been your favourite part of being involved with OEA?

FLO:
Getting to the beaches and encouraging kids to get excited about the sea! Knowing that I'm doing something good and am encouraging environmental stewardship in our next generation is so exciting.

RHIANNON:
My favourite part of OEA has been engaging with the amazing team at PFND and working with the enthusiastic students to explore the coast through beach cleans, rock-pooling and even paddle boarding! I’ve loved sharing my shark knowledge with super interested students who are eager to learn.

e) What would be your perfect outcome of your time spent volunteering with OEA?

FLO:
I'd love to be able to develop skills I already have, but also develop some new skills or get a bit of experience in something I've not done yet. I'm really glad to have finally made a connection with PFND and would love to maintain a relationship as I move into my career wherever that may take me. 

RHIANNON:
My perfect outcome would be to have both shared and gained some really interesting information about British coastlines and to spread the pure happiness that being in and around the ocean can give us. I hope to carry what I’ve learned at PFND through to the rest of my career.

Volunteering Opportunities

Ocean Explorer Academy Support 

Supporting education coordinator in managing and enriching student experience at Ocean Explorer Academy sessions. 

What we are looking for in an OAE Support:

Marine biology knowledge/qualifications are very helpful, we love people who have a passion to share. But don't worry, we also love volunteers without deep specialist knowledge, who want to help with our student groups and learn along the way. 

There’s also the potential to lead aspects of our education programme including delivering webinars, assemblies and workshops representing PFND, so there is plenty of scope for growth and development for those who really want to get stuck in!

Open to ages 18+ for this particular role but please feel free to enquire about other work experience opportunities.

Interested? Contact us at info@plasticfreenorthdevon.org telling us a bit about yourself and to find out more.