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'i sea, i care' is an innovative communication program Developed by the Dolphin Research Institute to convince Victorians that "what lives around our coast is too precious to lose". Our surveys highlight Victorians' misconceptions about the significance of our unique marine ecosystems and species. The fact that more than 90% of Victorians value the marine ecosystems in other states above their own is a critical block to success for all of us working on coastal and catchment issues. 'i sea, i care' takes a long-term strategic approach which offers the chance to add value to current marine education programs with persistent communications that are relevant and accessible to a much wider audience.
What is 'i sea, i care'?
The 'i sea, i care' Ambassador Program uses champions within organisations to leverage messages to a much larger audience. The goal is to make valuing our Living Marine Treasures a normal part of the culture. The gentle persistent presence of monthly "coastal celebrities and messages", for the whole year (not for another transient "day" or "week"), help us to reach a new audience - the "unconverted".
'i sea, i care' started with the School Ambassador Program. For 6 years we have worked with more than 500 ambassadors from over 100 schools, to develop young leaders who help reach a peak monthly audience exceeding 40,000 with the 'i sea, i care' stories.
'i sea, i care' has a proven track record of developing young leaders by providing them with real and relevant experiences.
'i sea, i care' is much more
The 'i sea, i care' Coastal Perceptions Survey is a state-wide program, run by ambassadors, to measure the perceptions of nearly 1,500 Victorians and provide a tool to gauge the success of 'i sea, i care'.
The 'i sea, i care' Challenge is an exciting outreach research and education program around both Port Phillip and Western Port bays.
The 'i sea, i care' Champions Program is a membership program to enlist community support and involvement. We hope that many 'i sea, i care' Champions will also become involved as Ambassadors. The plan is for the 'i sea, i care' Champions Program to eventually make the Ambassador Program self-sustaining and in the long term to evolve into the 'i sea, i care' Foundation to support a wide range of marine research, education and conservation activities for the future. DRI has the vision to develop a significant 'i sea, i care' Marine Conservation Centre at Hastings to more than triple our ability to contribute to conserving Victoria's Living Marine Treasures. We also have a long-term vision to establish an 'i sea, i care' Foundation that will create a long-term legacy for marine conservation in Victoria.
'i sea, i care spans Victoria's coast with participating schools, community groups and businesses.
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