Sea7 - Ocean Activist Training Camp
It's funny how some of the best decisions you make seem at odds with what the world expects you to do. Or at least, the things that feel right also feel like they come with a pretty solid dose of risk attached to them. I'm starting to accept that now - the fact that the smartest decisions we make will require a serious amount of commitment and energy to bring them to life - because the things we want to achieve don't fit neatly into an acceptable box, they don't often make 'commercial sense'.
The decision to go super niche in our work is the perfect example of this. To combine our already niched skillsets and build an agency that only works in the ocean space. To take strategy, storytelling, education and a deep connection to nature and find a way to make a positive impact in protecting the blue space that has always felt like home.
Yes it sounds epic - but the reality hasn't always looked so exciting. It's taken blood, sweat and tears. It's taken crazy amounts of work done for free. It's taken what some might call an obsessive and insatiable appetite for learning. Start up life is never quite as glamorous as it sounds ha ha.
But here's the thing - over time, and with an unwavering vision of what's possible - all the pieces start falling into place. The fear of saying no to the wrong work diminishes, the flow of well aligned and meaningful projects ramps up - and then suddenly (but most definitely not overnight), you realise you've found your lane.
We jumped on a call with the Finisterre team at the end of March - they'd just announced that they were running an event that would coincide with the G7 in June (this year's G7 was taking place in Carbis Bay, just a few miles down the road from Finisterre's HQ in Cornwall).
They asked if we'd be interested in designing and producing the event for them. The vision was clear - build an event, Sea7 that would help their audience become effective ocean activists. We were already big fans of the brand - one of the few outdoor/surf brands who've become B Corp and whose commitment to protecting our planet far surpasses the average 'we-made-a-t-shirt-from-ocean-plastic' approach that seems to be the unimaginative default for so many.
It was one of those dream gigs - one that called on our collective strengths and was totally aligned with how we want to show up in the world.
The main constraint for this project ? Time. It was April before we really got stuck into the work, which meant we were just 8 weeks away from the event. Thankfully the team at Finisterre were up for the challenge and gave us an incredible amount of freedom in not only the design of the event, but the design of the project as a whole.
We knew that there were certain tools we could lean on that would give us real clarity and momentum. First up was a team call to create a set of design principles - we needed to fully understand the vision and the experience that they wanted us to build. Co-creating design principles is (in our opinion) the very best way to do that - taking some time to zoom out from the project before you dive into the detail and find yourselves caught up in the fast lane of event production.
Be the conduit - We don't have all the answers - we're not the experts. Shine light on the people doing the work. Build community & hold the space.
Keep it relevant - Design with integrity and align with the science. This is not a marketing stunt. Clarity is key. Remain adaptable, flexible, timely & plugged in.
Co-design with & build for our audience - Listen first. Invest time to understand their wants & needs. Build for an immersive & participatory experience that works.
Measure what matters - Define the impact we want to have & reverse engineer to achieve it. Think legacy.
Enable a sense of agency - Ensure we provide clear pathways for action. Tools, connections & attainable goals for all.
Stay playful & spark curiosity - Don't take ourselves too seriously. Inject joy into the process & remain optimistic. Invite fresh perspectives & new voices.
Reconnect to nature - Move away from screens. Design activations that enable micro adventures & outdoor experiences for all. Lean into awe, wonder & the wisdom that nature holds.
With a set of design principles agreed upon it was time to talk about impact. It's all too easy to build a campaign, a project or and event with great intentions, but it's vital to actually understand the impact you want it to have.
The Theory of Change is a framework most often used in the social impact space. Simply put, it's a way of mapping out how an intervention (a campaign, project, event) will create impact in the short, medium and long term. It challenges you to admit your assumptions and to face them head on - and in the process of building an event like Sea7, it really helped clarify the vision and give us a real sense of what 'good' looked like and how we'd be able to know if we got there.
If we design, build and deliver an impactful Sea7 event then Finisterre will empower its audience with knowledge & skills and build a community of ocean activists
If Finisterre empowers its audience with knowledge & skills and builds a community of ocean activists then we will play an effective part in securing the future of our ocean.
It might seem crazy to use up an already short runway for an event to build out design principles and a theory of change - but for us it's kinda non-negotiable. It means we stay true to our own ethos, our own why - making a dent in something we care deeply about.
Here's the tricky part about running events in this weird covid time - it's almost impossible (and way too risky) to run something like this in person. It would have been so damn fun to bring together a community of ocean activists and host them all at Wheal Kitty - but we knew that couldn't happen.
So we started exploring the alternatives. We looked at the transition that so many events had made to digital - with big flashy screens and fancy presenters. And although those kinds of events were super impressive, they just didn't feel right. To us or to Finisterre.
We needed to find a way to deliver the event that was true to the brand - and everything it stands for.
And so, once again, we chose the path unknown. We committed to building something that wouldn't require people to sit in front of a computer screen for hours on end. We envisioned an event that felt like an extension of the Finisterre experience - something you could tune into whilst hiking on a cliff path, or kicking back under a tree in the park. A choose your own adventure that could be shaped around the stuff you're most interested in and enjoyed how you want to enjoy it (not how we prescribe it to you !).
So the plan looked like this - build something that would look good on screen and would work equally well as audio only. Create a schedule that would have enough variety and diversity in content that would give anyone (no matter where they were on their ocean activism journey) inspiration, education and a clear sense of what actions they can take next.
We were lucky enough to be able to have direct contact with the Finisterre audience so we could ask some questions around ocean activism. Our first mission was to understand where people sat on the ocean activism scale and the results gave us an immediate sense of where everyone was at, and therefore, what kind of workshops & speakers would be the best fit.
We asked what the biggest barriers are to ocean activism and the answers were fascinating - so many people felt disconnected or unable to get involved because they don't live in coastal areas. Others were lacking a clear starting point and a community to engage with. This kind of data was GOLD to us - it meant we weren't making assumptions in the design of Sea7, we were building something that we knew would be useful to the very people we knew would show up (design thinking 101 - human centred design at it's best).
The event flow was built around three phases that represent the journey of becoming an ocean activist.
Immerse - The first thing we need to do is immerse ourselves in learning. Understand the importance of our ocean & just how vital it is when it comes to climate change. But it's not just knowledge that we need - deepening our connection to nature is fundamental when it comes to being an effective activist. That's why we built Sea7 in audio as well as video so our audience could choose to step away from their screens, plug in their headphones and head outside to connect.
Align - The more we learn the more we realise there is to learn - so the next phase is about choosing your lane. We wanted to explore seven key themes in ocean activism and help our audience decide which issue they're most connected to and how best to apply their skillsets to the cause.
Connect - Once you know which direction you're headed, it's time to connect with the incredible people, organisations and communities who are leading the way. We made sure our audience would know who to talk to, how to get involved and how best to get started. Our speakers & hosts shared all the resources needed to take action & inspire the activist in everyone.
Next up it was time to build out the schedule. Here's the crazy thing - this is normally the hard part - finding the right speakers, connecting with experts in the space, aligning calendars and availability during an already super busy week (Sea7 was happening 2 days after World Ocean Day). But remember what I was saying at the start of this post ? About our decision to narrow our focus ? To commit to sticking to our lane ? Turns out that being super intentional about the kind of people you want to surround yourselves with means that you find yourself immersed in an incredible community. So we knew, right from the start of this project, that curating an epic line up of speakers would actually be the easiest part of the job.
We reached out to friends, collab partners and people whose work has inspired and influenced our own - Finisterre did the same, and within a couple of weeks we were faced with a good problem - too many ocean activists to choose from. Turns out the ocean conservation world is actually a fairly small one - and one that is deeply connected and fuelled by passion, generosity and reciprocity. A family unlike no other.
In terms of framing the content, we leaned into seven core themes of ocean conservation -
Our Health and the Ocean
Education
Thriving Ecosystems
Ocean as Climate Solution
Clean Ocean
Blue Livelihoods
Effective Policy
But here's the challenge - how do you talk about these issues without turning the entire event into an in-depth insight into all the ways in which we're screwing up ? How do you frame these conversations in a way that speaks truth to what's happening but also sparks a sense of optimism and hope ?
We took inspiration from some of our favourite ocean activists - Dr Ayana Johnson, Alexandra Cousteau, Wallace J Nicholls and Dan Burgess - and their approach to creating new stories - being mindful about the language we use, and finding ways to reframe the ocean as the hero of the story. To remind ourselves that the very first thing we must to do address the climate crisis is remember that we are not separate from nature.
Three weeks after our first site visit, we were jumping back on a plane to go run the event. To describe this project as a sprint is an understatement. It was intense, and at times, the workload felt impossible, but as we pulled up to Wheal Kitty the week before the event, we knew we were ready.
There's this strange moment in event production, a tipping point, when you realise that whether you like it or not, the event will run. It's like a train that has already started down the track - and there's some sweet relief in knowing the momentum has been created and there's nothing you can do to stop it.
Our first few days on site weren't actually on site at all - we transformed our Airbnb into a studio and the team worked, ate and slept there. We all sat around the big wooden table late every night - each of us with our own crazy to-do list - committed to doing whatever it took to get the job done. I think we averaged 4/5 hours sleep a night that week.
On show day I woke up early - I had a sense I needed some downtime, some solo time, before everything kicked into gear and the day ran away with itself. I left the rest of the team at the house and drove over to the site.
I took that time, maybe an hour all up, to just slow everything down. To breathe. To visualise everything unfolding perfectly. I did all the geeky things I like to do on site - making the final lists, sticking up schedules on the wall, getting everything in place. Enjoying that sweet stillness before everyone arrives.
And then - it begins.