A collection of environmental protection groups invited Bermudian youngsters to join a virtual boot camp and work with other young people from the Caribbean to protect the oceans.

The Ocean Heroes Network announced their first ever Ocean Heroes Regional Boot Camp in the Caribbean to allow local children to speak out against water pollution and advocate for the protection of their marine environment.

The deadline for registration is today and people can register here.

Bermudian conservationist Weldon Wade, of Guardians of the Reef, will also lead a workshop during the boot camp about the importance of biodiversity and marine conservation.

He said: “It’s really cool to be a part of this here – I’m bringing myself up to speed quite quickly and it’s really cool to work with everyone.

“I think young people can get a lot of knowledge-sharing out of this is and a lot of networking and recognising that, while we’re different countries with our own borders and political systems, we’re all very interconnected.”

The four-day regional boot camp will bring youngsters together on an online forum to discuss the particular marine problems that affect the participating country as well as more general problems shared between the countries.

Participants will also work with scientists, policymakers and youth leaders about how to formulate campaigns and action plans to protect the environment.

Youngsters will be paired with a squad leader, or mentor who has launched a successful environmental campaign, who will guide them through the creation of their campaign.

They will also have the opportunity to gain mentorship under youth leaders and build relationships with others from different countries.

Leesa Carter-Jones, the president and chief executive officer of Captain Planet Foundation and a found partner of the Ocean Heroes Network, said: “Young people who are armed with the tools to create systemic change, whether at the global or grass roots level, have no limit to the issues they can solve.

“For two years, Ocean Heroes have been trained on tackling plastic pollution at a global scale and our hope is that, through regional Boot camps, youth can discover and take hold of issues unique to their region and connect the dots to make real, lasting change in their communities.”

The boot camp comes off the heels of the Ocean Heroes Virtual Boot Camp in June, which involved about 400 young people from 36 countries outside of the Caribbean.

Those who complete the Caribbean regional boot camp will become a part of the global Ocean Heroes Network, which includes more than 1,500 young people from more than 50 countries who advocate year-round for marine conservation.

The event is organised by youth leaders Dejea Lyons, Steff McDermot and Ben Somerville, all from the Cayman Islands, and is hosted by Caribbean organisations Plastic Free Cayman and Protect Our Future.

It will also involve workshops on plastic pollution, led by Bill LaMonte of Plastic Free Cayman, and environmental awareness and engagement, led by Veta Wade of Fish N’ Fins.

The boot camp is open to Bermudians and Caribbean youth aged between 11 and 18.

The free event will take place virtually on December 6 and December 11 to 13. Registration closes at end of day today (WEDNESDAY).

Those who wish to register can do so at here.