The Water Carries Stories: Indigenous Youth Ocean Clean-Up & Learning Road Trip is a youth-centered Ocean Week Canada event for Indigenous youth. The project involves a supervised road trip from the Wolastoqey Nation at Wotstak to the ocean at Kouchibouguac National Park providing many participants with their first opportunity to see and experience the ocean firsthand.

The event will take place at the coastal shorelines of Kelly Beach and Callander Beach, where youth will participate in a guided shoreline clean-up. Prior to the clean-up, youth will take part in a short learning circle that explores Indigenous perspectives on water as a living relative and introduces the concept of how local rivers and inland waterways connect to the ocean.

This learning is reinforced on site, where youth can directly observe ocean conditions, shoreline ecosystems, and the presence of plastic pollution. During the clean-up, youth will collect and sort waste while discussing where plastic comes from, how it travels from land to river to ocean, and its impacts on marine life. Collected plastic materials will be used to create a temporary art installation or visual display that tells the story of what was found and what could have happened if the waste had not been removed.

The day will conclude with a reflection circle recognizing youth as Water Guardians and inviting them to share what they learned.

The road trip, first-time ocean experience, hands-on action, and creative expression make this event meaningful, memorable, and impactful.