Paige Smith started out as just another passionate high school student looking for ways to make her community and world a better place. Combine that passion with a little program structure and support from the local Coos Bay Surfrider Chapter, regional staff and the school and you've got a force to be reckoned with!
The Coos Bay Chapter wanted to start the first Surfrider Youth Leadership Program club in the state at Bandon High School an saw the Blue Water Task Force (BWTF) program as the perfect tool for engagement. With financial support from the chapter and leadership support from science teacher Trent Hatfield, the club was formed in 2014. Paige Smith was one of the founding members and led the club through their "Loam Not Foam" campaign, aiming to ban polystyrene lunch containers in the cafeteria and encouraged the state legislature to do the same!
She then went on to become the Coos Bay Chapter's Jr. BWTF intern during the summer of 2015 where she collected and processes samples for both the Bandon and Charleston labs, held outreach sessions at local beaches and community events to raise awareness of local water quality issues and the BWTF program, ran four training sessions for new BWTF volunteers, and last but certainly not least, helped in the development of an Ocean Friendly Garden at Bandon High!
It has been really incredible to see young leaders like Paige emerge from the Surfrider Youth Leadership and BWTF programs - starting a participant, then leading local campaigns, moving up to become a regional intern and eventually leading trainings back at the high school she used to attend! This type of leadership development would not have been possible without generous support from the Oregon Community Foundation, the Coos Bay Chapter for both their leadership and funding, and the tireless efforts of Trent Hatfield. Hats off to you all!
Further south in the Port Orford area, Tyson Rasor, Coordinator for the Redfish Rocks Community Team and Ryan Cruse, Oregon Field Coordinator for Surfrider are employing the same tactics, presenting on water quality pollution and solutions to both the Zoology and Biology classes at Pacific High School and training students on how to process samples and read the results. The hope is to continue using the Blue Water Task Force program as a great tool for developing the next generation of environmental leaders!