My name is Annie Means and I’m a third year Environmental-Humanities Major. This semester, I had the great fortune to work as the Marketing Coordinator for the Youth Ocean Conservation Summit. Based in Sarasota, Florida, this non-profit works to educate and inspire young ocean conservationists to take action for our seas. The Youth Ocean Conservation Summit, or YOCS, gives participants the opportunity to learn from marine scientists and conservationists about current threats facing marine ecosystems, both locally and globally. At the end of each summit, participants can even apply for mini-grants to launch their own conservation projects.
In the past, grant recipients have used their funds to build and transplant artificial coral reefs, to host monthly beach cleanups, and to limit microplastic pollution in their local waterways.
The year 2020 marks the tenth anniversary of the summit. As such, much of my work consisted of marketing for the tenth-anniversary summit. Due to COVID-19 concerns, YOCS and its partner institution, the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, chose to host this event virtually. Likewise, all marketing for this event was conducted online.
Using social media analytics tools, I spent my internship crafting thoughtful and engaging Facebook and Instagram content. This content was designed to encourage the public to sign up for the tenth-anniversary summit. Additionally, the social posts served as a means to entice registered participants to get excited for the event. Though content creation was how I spent the majority of this internship, I was also responsible for crafting a promotional guide for our partner organizations. This guide offered tailored social media graphics and captions for outside nonprofits and companies that wanted to promote the tenth-anniversary summit.
My favorite part of this experience, however, was my coordinating role during the actual days of the summit. I was responsible for providing live coverage of the event. Using Facebook and Instagram stories, I updated YOCS’s follower base on the various breakout sessions, speakers, and activities during the virtual summit. I was particularly pleased with my work. Over two days of live coverage alone, YOCS’ social media base expanded by 
5.6%. Additionally over 500 individuals from over 25 countries registered for the event, making this summit the largest the Youth Ocean Conservation Summit has ever held.
What was more exciting were the reactions from first time summit participants. As we wrapped up the final day of the virtual event, I was moved by the kind and inspiring words participants said. Many of them spoke about how this event had been the much needed catalyst for their conservation work, or how excited they were to apply the skills they learned at this event. It was uplifting to know that so many participants left this event feeling energized and empowered to protect our blue planet.
Words can’t accurately describe how much I enjoyed my time with the Youth Ocean Conservation Summit. I gained valuable marketing skills and exposure to some incredible
marine conservation experts and students. I’m looking forward to continuing my work as the Marketing Coordinator for YOCS and to continue enabling empowered young people to protect the oceans.
Experiences like Annie’s are made possible by the Whitman Internship Grant, which provides funding for students to participate in unpaid internships at both for-profit and non-profit organizations. We are happy to be sharing blog posts from students who were supported by either a summer, fall, spring, or year-long Whitman Internship Grant at organizations, businesses, and research labs all around the world. To learn how you could secure a Whitman Internship Grant or host a Whitman intern at your organization, click here or contact Assistant Director for Internship Programs Mitzy Rodriguez