YOUTH AMBASSADORS
MEET THE NEXT GENERATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi
The United Nations' Ocean Decade calls on scientists, governments, industry and the public to work together for the ocean we want.
Ocean Diagnostics collaborates with compassionate, enthusiastic and dedicated young leaders who conduct community science projects, attend community events, give school presentations and engage their peers and communities about microplastic pollution.
We are so proud of our ambassadors who make a positive impact on the health of our oceans and inspire others to get involved.
LIAM POPE LAU
British Columbia, Canada
Growing up near the ocean on Vancouver, Liam has been an active beach cleanup volunteer with his school and the Surfrider Foundation where he first noticed microplastics and was inspired to do a science fair project on the levels of microplastics pollution on other beaches in British Columbia, Hong Kong and Thailand, for which he won three science fair awards.
His advocacy continued by speaking to decision makers about implementing a single-use plastic ban in BC and he traveled to Ottawa to attend the Bill M151 Committee meetings for a National Strategy to Combat Plastic Pollution. In 2020, he participated in the Youth Engagement Forum for Zero Waste Victoria, which was presented to Victoria City Council.
In 2021 he joined Ocean Diagnostics Inc. as a Youth Ambassador to help educate and engage youth on the topics of ocean pollution and citizen science. He has participated in our community science pilot study in partnership with Environment and Climate Change Canada, interviewed our chief scientific officer, presented to his peers and the public at events like World Environment Day and led his school through a beach sampling protocol to test ODI’s new Microplastics Community Science Toolkits.
ZOE YEUNG
British Columbia, Canada
Zoe’s passion to empower and mobilize youth to create meaningful and impactful change regarding ocean health and the ongoing plastics crisis ignited when she first took part in the Ocean Wise Innovator Lab. There, for the first time, she learned of the detrimental effects microplastics had in our oceans through the voices of world-class industry leaders.
This inspired her to co-found a youth-led initiative, the Odaqua Mission, to spearhead a space for youth to educate and inspire themselves (and those within their circle of influence) on our oceans’ future.
Zoe is President and Chief Editor of the her school’s Journalism and Newspaper Club, and she raises ocean health and plastic pollution awareness through writing. She also has a strong drive for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. As the current Vice-President of a youth-led organization, the Gogivers Foundation, she organizes and mobilizes hundreds of youth to combat food insecurity and the stigmas surrounding homelessness.
Zoe is excited to contribute her and the Odaqua Mission’s findings through Ocean Diagnostics’ Community Science Campaign.
LUCAS LAI
Florida, USA
Living by the sea in Canada’s Pacific Northwest and Florida’s Gulf Coast, Lucas not only enjoys the ocean as a playground but also appreciates it as our most important carbon sink. Concerned with the current pace of plastic pollution (estimated to outnumber fish in the ocean by 2050), Lucas co-founded Odaqua, a youth-led non-profit organization to raise awareness, engage and empower youth to protect our oceans.
Their mission is to create collaborative opportunities for instruments of change by providing education and engagement opportunities to participate in community science projects. Lucas uses ODI's Community Science Toolkit to collect, analyze and characterize microplastic samples along shorelines to help measure, find and advocate for solutions to ocean plastic pollution.
As dedicated member of the Constituency Youth Council and volunteer in Hon. Joyce Murray’s (Member of Parliament and Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard) office, Lucas is learning about Canada’s political process, getting involved in his community and giving youth a voice in shaping our future.