We were kindly asked by the Marine Conservation Society to come along to their Youth Event in Glasgow and speak to young people (aged between 13-25) about our Young Leaders Network, alongside Young Sea Changers Scotland and the Scottish Youth Parliament.

Young Leader, Jonny McMillian, and Engagement Officer, Rachel Faichnie attended the event and spoke about all things marine, from splashing round in the sea to amplifying young voices in the marine conservation sector.

Our Young Leaders of the Scottish Wildlife Trust programme, established back in 2018, integrates young voices into the work the Trust does and helps the Trust engage with more young people. A network of 22 fantastic volunteers (aged between 18-30), the Young Leaders’ very existence makes our work more accessible to other young people!

The team works hard to decide on the tasks and projects that will best help the us achieve our vision, as well as ensuring young voices are heard along the way. A big focus over the past few years has been amplifying young voices in the marine sector.

Important policy decisions made now have the potential to fundamentally influence young peoples’ futures. However, despite this impact, and the determination many young people express to be part of decision-making processes, it’s often not easy for young people to get involved in these conversations. Events, like this one, are a fantastic way of helping amplify and unite diverse youth voices!

One thing we spoke about at the event was our relationship to the sea. It was amazing to hear young people having so many strong (and positive) memories and connections to the coast, especially being in a landlocked city like Glasgow. Jonny’s first ever memory of the sea was poking a crayfish in a rockpool on Skye (don’t worry, he was only 5!).

What better way is there to connect with the coast than to dive right in – with a wet suit of course! We have a selection of award-winning Snorkel Trails across Scotland that showcase the amazing diversity of our seas. Bursting with marine life, you could see everything from small sea squirts, sponges and anemones right up to dolphins, whales and harmless basking sharks. You can download our free handy snorkel trail leaflets here.

When snorkelling, divers need to use hand signals to communicate with each other, whether giving navigation directions or pointing out wildlife species. Jonny and Rachel put the event attendees hand signal skills to the test! Can you guess what species the two hand signals below are for?

Species hand signal 1:

Species hand signal 2:

Check out the answers at the bottom of the blog!

Alan Munro, Founder and Director of Young Sea Changers Scotland ended the day with a fantastic workshop all about young voices in the marine policy space.

Young Sea Changers Scotland is currently engaging with young people aged between 16 and 25 across Scotland to develop the first Youth Manifesto for Scotland’s Seas.

This is your chance to have a say in the future of Scotland’s marine environment and ensure decision-makers hear directly from young people ahead of the 2026 parliamentary elections.

There are two ways to get involved:

Fill out our short survey to share your thoughts on the actions and policies needed to protect and restore our seas.

Join an online or in-person workshop to take part in discussions and help shape the manifesto.

If you aren’t between ages 16 to 25, you can help by sharing it with people in your network that are!

A final big thank you to the Marine Conservation Society for having us along and to everyone at the event for bringing so much passion!

Hand signal answers: If you guessed sea slug for species 1 and octopus for species 2, you are correct!

– Rachel Faichnie, Engagement Officer