This story is a part of the GenOcean campaign — an official Ocean Decade campaign showcasing Decade Actions, collaborating organizations and ocean leaders that focus on youth and citizen science opportunities to help anyone, anywhere be the change the ocean needs.
Aimee Clark has been speaking up for our planet for many years in her early career as a marine biologist, science communicator and youth leader. In ourfirst conversation with Clark, she told us what inspired her pursuit of marine biology and what it was like to serve as a UNESCO Aotearoa Youth Leader. Now, she shares how that role as well as her background and experience as a science communicator and ocean conservationist are helping her bring science, ocean action and empathy to communities across the United Kingdom.
Inspired by the Ocean Decade, Clark joined the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO as an Aotearoa Youth Leader in 2021. In this two-year role, Youth Leaders are responsible for finding and facilitating ways young people can become involved in the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO and for building UNESCO’s profile by identifying organizations, networks and initiatives that align with UNESCO’s mandate. In addition to these responsibilities, Clark used her unique interests and skills to find ways the Ocean Decade and the Decade of Indigenous Languages, which was initiated in 2022, could be interwoven.
“We worked with the Pacific Youth Council on a series of workshops around ocean science and indigenous knowledge knowing that the knowledge and use of indigenous languages is important to the ways people practice science, especially in the Pacific.”
Clark’s work during her time as an Aotearoa Youth Leader paid homage to the multidisciplinary and holistic nature of indigenous science being conducted around the world, specifically honoring mātauranga Māori – the knowledge, understanding and comprehension of everything in the universe from a Māori perspective, including the Māori language, cultural practices and environmental knowledge.
But what does it actually look like for mātauranga Māori to be leveraged in the ways people practice science?
An example Clark provides comes from an organization in New Zealand aiming to restore seaweed beds in the Wellington Harbor. Their team uses indigenous knowledge to determine where seaweed grew hundreds of years ago through oral stories and generational knowledge. The UN’s recent recognition of indigenous knowledge as intellectual property will help ensure that this kind of information is credited to the tribes and indigenous peoples responsible for its stewardship.
So how is Clark using this experience in her current role? After graduating with her master’s degree in science communication and natural history filmmaking, she closed the chapter with the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO and her time in the land of the kiwis to return to her other home in the United Kingdom. In 2023, she spent a year at the University of Cambridge as a project coordinator for the Centre for Sustainability Leadership developing and delivering new courses in sustainability education. She then brought her passion for empowering youth to a London-based children’s charity called AllChild.
“In my current role as communications officer for AllChild, I work with underserved communities in West London, helping young people and their families access resources and programs that support their overall wellbeing. We run impact programs in schools and work with children to help them develop academically, socially and emotionally and ultimately change the trajectories of their lives,” says Clark. “It’s inspiring to work at this level because it reminds me that no one can have the capacity to care for our ocean or the environment without having their own needs and their families’ needs met first. To bring about inclusive and transformational change for both people and planet we need to be working across systems and uplifting all generations in order to make sure everyone has the ability and tools they need to create positive change and be heard. I’m working with youth, the next generation, helping them thrive in their communities so that one day they too can become advocates for the ocean and other social and environmental issues they care about.”
In addition to building her skills in impact-based communications with AllChild, Clark aspires to run her own charity based on work she did in her master’s program.
“I created a business plan for The Yellow Submarine Project, a narrative-driven, portable science museum and lab simulating what it would be like to go under the sea in a submarine, for my master’s research,” she says. “I moved to the UK to develop the skills I would need to build a youth and environmental focused organization and be exposed to more diverse communities and opportunities for funding and partnering to make this passion project a reality.”
Clark’s dream job would be running The Yellow Submarine Project and making ocean science more accessible to students and communities that don’t regularly interact with the ocean through her unique combination of creativity and conservationism. To get closer to her goal, Clark stays active in multiple ocean conservation organization events and programs.
“I have been working with and attending events with Surfers Against Sewage in Brighton, where I am based now,” she says. “They run beach cleanups and art events that turn found trash into art pieces. I’ve also attended a march for clean water in London with many other organizations in the UK to raise awareness of the large amounts of sewage that makes its way into our waterways.”
Clark’s ambition to start her own business and leverage her unique skills to bring a portable ocean experience to anyone anywhere in the UK took time to develop and direct.
“I always thought I would go into marine biology research as I was pursuing my bachelor’s because it was the only path I saw in that field,” says Clark. “But, through attending events, conferences and workshops with UNESCO and other groups, I found that communication and storytelling were modalities that I could naturally master to make an even bigger impact.
“I have a passion for writing, filmmaking and telling stories, so I decided to use those skills to satisfy my love for the ocean and the desire to make a positive impact,” she continues. “The intentional shift from research to communications led me to create a documentary, envision an educational business and imagine a future where the systems and discriminations against race, gender and age could be reshaped by the voices of young people. I started to see how if we don’t take care of our communities, our youth, our neighbors, we won’t create real change for our planet. We need everyone at the table, especially indigenous and minority communities that are being affected the most by climate change.”
Clark’s vision for the future is rooted in her own goals she is focusing on this coming year.
“I’m excited to continue growing in the role that I am in, to continue working with young people and building a community of voluntary organizations around me in Brighton that I can share my skills with,” she says. “I am also excited to travel and potentially to teach English as a second language in a new country so I can experience a new culture and develop my teaching skills further. It’s always a privilege to see more of the beautiful world we live in and witness how today’s young people are empowered to speak up for a more equitable and inclusive society and a healthier planet.”
For anyone who wants to tackle ocean issues, Clark has some tangible solutions to help you be the change the ocean needs.
“Think locally and find organizations you can work with close to home,” she says. “Identify and build the skills that you want to learn to make an impact across any occupation. Like many other environmental and societal challenges, tackling ocean issues requires a multidisciplinary approach and skills from all sectors. You don’t have to be a marine biologist or a scientist to have an impact. We need everyone working across all disciplines to truly make tangible change. I struggle with my mental health and was quite shy and anxious when I was in school, but I had the passion to make a difference. It wasn’t cool to be an environmental activist back then, but it definitely is now. Never doubt your own passion even if you are the minority voice, or you are not the loudest person in the room or top of your class. Be confident to try new things, be brave in sticking to what you believe in, always make sure you are looking after your own wellbeing and know that any climate action you take does make an impact.”
Read more GenOcean stories on our webpage.
