It is always inspiring to have an opportunity to see the artwork that emerges from a group of youth who are passionate about an issue that affects their community. The AYV Haiti Ocean Project is no different.

 On Thursday, March 19, 2015, these youth shared their work in Petionville, a neighbourhood outside of the Haiti capital of Port au Prince. The annual Adobe Youth Voices exhibition was held at the El Rancho Hotel and was attended by over 40 guests who demonstrated great support for this project. Guests included community leaders, government officials, educators and members of the media all of whom were extremely engaged throughout the evening.

The event was hosted by the youth. They shared their stories about how they become involved with the Haiti Ocean Project, the work that they have done with AYV, and their passion for marine conservation.

The youth from this project are from Petit Goave and Petite Riviere de Nippes which are two fishing villages that are working together to help protect Haiti’s marine mammal populations. Through their art, the youth have depicted the natural beauty of the marine environment in Haiti and created pieces to advocate for its protection.

At the end of the event, some guests were so moved by the what the youth shared that they signed up for the future whale and dolphin watching tours that are also organized by the youth. Overall, it was a very successful exhibition and all in attendance left feeling enriched by the experience.