We are Ocean Community Report

I've spent the last year or so exploring the concept of community. It's a word that gets thrown about so much that I feel like we've lost sense of what it really means.

I've read research papers, listened to podcasts, geeked out on books - but when it comes down to it, the most meaningful learnings have come from experiencing what community means to me.

When I look back at the last 10 years of my career I can see clearly the impact 'community' has had on me - beautiful interactions with like-minded people that have catalysed collaborations, ways to champion each other's work & connect the human dots to build momentum around issues we care deeply about.

My very first interaction with the We are Ocean community was a total fail. Dan Burgess & Stephen King were hosting an ocean-focused design sprint in Bristol and I was super excited to take part. But the day before I was due to fly out the weather forecast predicted snow and every single flight off the island was cancelled. I was gutted to miss out.

But that's the thing about good community - there's a feeling of always being invited. And so, later that year I was lucky enough to join Dan & Steve in San Francisco at Salesforce to host the Ocean Hack. The beginning of an incredible journey that played an integral role in me doing the work I so love today.

Here's one of my biggest takeaways from the last couple of years - All too often we forget about the people doing the work. We become fixated on the climate solution, the science, the data that we forget to support the good humans who have dedicated their lives to the cause.

That's where community comes in - a space to feel connected, supported and inspired. Somewhere to ask questions, share ideas & spark conversations.

Over the last year I've been lucky enough to work alongside some incredible folk to produce the We are Ocean Community Report - asking the question - "How might we define (and then activate) the We are Ocean community in order to create meaningful impact for its members ?“

This is the result 👇🏼🌊