The CTC team welcomed  a group of young leaders from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Vietnam on October 29, 2023 in a sharing session with the goal of highlighting  resources that they might utilize to raise public awareness of the Coral Triangle. The young leaders are part of the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security’s (CTI-CFF) Youth Ambassadors program and were in Bali for the Global Youth Conference held on October 27-29, 2023. During the visit, there were also representatives from  the CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat and the USAID Sustainable Fisheries Asia Program.

Prior to their visit to the Center, these youths were also informed about CTC’s conservation initiatives by Rili Djohani, Executive Director of CTC, who discussed the young’s potentials to safeguard the Coral Triangle at a Global Youth Conference session. 

During their visit, the delegates listened to short presentations and spent their time exploring our Center for Marine Conservation’s interactive exhibitions to learn how to convey the Coral Triangle’s most pressing issues by blending culture, art, science and technology.  

“I really enjoyed visiting the exhibitions and the Center. It really showcases the unique marine biodiversity of Indonesia and the Coral Triangle and how the local communities are helping to save the earth. I get a lot of inspiration from here and I’m looking forward to visit here again,” said Agnes Saul, a delegate from Malaysia.

They also learned about some of CTC’s ongoing conservation and restoration projects on the ground.

“The Center is like an encyclopedia but compressed into one building. I had the opportunity to learn in an interesting way about both the coral reefs and CTC’s initiatives at the same time. They have a ton of games, but they’re not just for fun—they’re educational too. “The Center for Marine Conservation at CTC is a great place to visit here in Bali.” said Jane Dominique Lignig, a delegate from the Philippines.

With active participation from the Coral Triangle Youth Ambassadors, it is expected that young people will be able to amplify their voices and increase their roles in sustainable fisheries management, including marine conservation and in combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.