CBT's Youth Summer Intern Reflects on his Experience Volunteering with Surfrider

This summer, CBT's Youth Intern, Braedon, has been supporting us in a wide range of projects across the organization and has also participated in initiatives hosted by other local non-profits. One of our goals was to offer him the opportunity to experience diverse types of work as well as acquire skills and knowledge in many different fields.

Discover Braedon’s experience joining Surfrider Pacific Rim and Tourism Tofino for their “Washed Up Wednesday” beach clean. Read on for his reflections.

"I am Braedon from Ucluelet, and I have lived in this region for 5 years. The things I love about this region are the wildlife and ecosystems. I have been interning for the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust for more than a month, as I wanted to learn more about ecosystems in the region. In July, I had the opportunity to do a beach clean with Surfrider Pacific Rim and Tourism Tofino, as part of their “Washed up Wednesday” series of beach cleans in Tofino. 

Surfrider Foundation is an international organization dedicated to protecting the oceans. They have multiple international campaigns, such as “hold onto your butt,”  a campaign dedicated to stopping cigarette butts from being littered. Surfrider Pacific Rim partners with Tourism Tofino on some of these campaigns, including keeping the beaches clean and sustainability programs like the “Love Your Beach Clean” campaign. These beach cleans are vital to this community as they continue to keep litter and marine debris off the beaches and keep them free of pollutants, protecting wildlife and the environment, and ensuring that people who use the beach can enjoy the pristine beaches Tofino is well known for.

One of the most common pieces of litter is polystyrene. This material is especially bad for the environment as it breaks down into small spheres that ocean life has been found to eat. Polystyrene is typically used as a floatation device in docks and is made from aromatic hydrocarbon styrene, which is not biodegradable. This makes it far worse for the environment, as it cannot naturally decompose.  

Something for beach goers to consider when visiting the beaches is reducing their footprint by leaving the beaches cleaner and even better than they found them. 

Something I noticed walking into the Tofino Tourism Centre was the use of art as an ideological display; for example, they have a surfboard made from cigarette litter on display to show how many cigarette butts have been littered on the beach.

Throughout history, art has been used as a form of activism and a call for change. Examples of this can be seen throughout history, such as the explosion of protest folk music in the 60s as a response to America's involvement in the Vietnam War. This can even be seen in environmental activism in music genres such as Vegan Straight Edge, a subgenre of hardcore advocating a lifestyle free of substance use and the use of animal products. Song lyrics often include themes of anger against the treatment of animals and the environment.   

The Clayoquot Biosphere Trust helps support Surfrider Pacific Rim's programs, such as the Youth Environmental Stewardship Program, a program designed to inspire youth to become environmental leaders. 

You can volunteer for Surfrider by visiting www.surfrider.org/volunteer, and you can find out more about Tourism Tofino by visiting www.tourismtofino.com."

Thanks, Braedon, for all your work this summer! You have been our archive superstar and have brought some great energy and ideas to the team. We wish you the best in your music studies in Vancouver this year, and we hope to see you again soon!