This project addresses the need for a platform for youths to become future change-makers and leaders in tackling issues of climate change, empowering them to take collective action towards positive change and engage with marine and coastal communities who have limited access and opportunities to learn about and manage environmental issues that impact their lives on a daily basis. This platform will be known as the ?Malaysia Ocean Youth Ambassadors? programme (MOYA).

The two main objectives are:

1) Nurture and empower youths to be environmental change-makers through active involvement in climate change awareness and mitigation activities

2) Harness the power of storytelling to engage and connect communities with sustainable practices

The project is based in Sabah, Malaysia, with an emphasis on the following areas:
3. East/Southeast coast: Semporna, Mabul island and its surrounding areas
4. West coast: along the coast of Kota Kinabalu, including Gaya Island and Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park; Mantanani island

The approach taken will strongly focus on experiential learning and hands-on experience, through a series of workshops to enhance knowledge and build capacity. Through this, participants are encouraged to develop innovative and creative problem-solving skills, pushing them to think outside the box as they embark on mini-projects and pitch their own solutions-based ideas at the end of the project. There will also be a focus on harnessing the power of storytelling; through quantitative data collected, participants will learn how to convert and analyze this information into a compelling narrative using both traditional and digital platforms. These stories become powerful tools to engage and connect communities as well as stakeholders.