1. The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit environmental
grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and
enjoyment of the world’s oceans, waves and beaches
through powerful activism network, conservation,
research and education.
Each chapter network works to campaign, advocate for
policies, combats legal battles for our coast, fundraise,
and bring awareness issues that are currently facing our
oceans. e.g. Climate change.
The skills I acquired from interning for Long Beach
Surfrider Foundation are:
• Educate the public on how to protect our oceans,
waves, and beaches from the dangers the ocean
faces from climate change, offshore development
and pollution.
• Learn how to help local community create Ocean
Friendly Gardens and Restaurants
• Learn how to educate the public about preventing
plastic pollution through beach clean-ups,
eliminating single-use plastics and preventing plastic
pollution before it goes into the ocean, which is
growing increasingly abundant.
• Manage and plan events to inform the public about
our mission
Surfrider Foundation
Sokha Ny
Department of Geography
College of Liberal Arts, California State University Long Beach
Surfrider Foundation seeks to educate the public on the
hazards of plastic pollution, climate change, activism and
public policy. Interns and volunteers are taught how to
campaign effectively and educate the public on how to
make a difference in their local communities by local
beach clean ups, fundraising, writing letters to local or
state officials.
Ocean Friendly Gardens:
• Attend tabling events to share info. on OFG program
• Attend lawn patrols: meet with designated
residence/businesses
• Attend an OFG work day: Garden
Beach clean-ups
Rise Above Plastics Education
• Certified training in Ocean Friendly Restaurants and
education on the dangers of plastic pollution
Fundrasing
Table events
Breakwater Study
• Long Beach, CA Surfrider Foundation’s main
campaign to ‘Sink the Breakwater’ the reconfiguration of
the breakwater can bring back the natural circulation and
water quality that can bring economic, environmental,
and social equity benefits back into the City of Long
Beach.
Figure 2. Here is a photo of Jennie
(treasurer) and I tabling at Long
Beach Poly High School for a health
fair informing students about our
mission, educating and offering
volunteer and service learning
opportunities.
Figure 3. is a photo of a poster board that we use to inform and educate the public about the
breakwater. Recently this year a 3 year feasibility study agreement was signed with the Army
Corps of Engineers to Begin Breakwater Study in the hopes of restoring the coast of Long
Beach, Ca.
Surfrider Foundation Skills acquired
Internship Objectives
Projects Completed Conclusions
Acknowledgements
For more information
Please visit: http://www.lbsurfrider.org/contact/ to
volunteer & internship opportunities.
More information on this internships and related topics:
http://www.lbsurfrider.org/
https://www.surfrider.org/
Figure 1. Is a logo
used for the Rise Above
Plastics (RAP)
program. Surfrider
Foundation focuses
educating and
motivating the public to
eliminate plastic waste
that can go into our
oceans, waves and
beaches.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Being a core volunteer and intern for Long Beach
Surfrider enhanced my knowledge on advocacy, team
work, communicating effectively, learning how to
fundraise, tabling and organizing events. This experience
helped me overcome my shyness and gave me the
knowledge on ongoing environmental issues and how to
educate the public. I also learned how to manage my
emails a lot more efficiently. Since I’ve joined Surfrider.
Emails is the most effective way to communicate with
one another. This internship gave me the ability to use
information from what I learned from my major as well
(Geography and ES&P ).
Figure 4. Is a letter to our now Chair
member Seamus Innes from the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers insuring that they
received our many postcards in regards to
the breakwater and informing us about
future funding.
I would like to acknowledge all of the members of the Long
Beach Surfrider chapter most especially to Sona, Seamus,
Heidi, Viviana, John and Jennie for giving me the opportunity
to volunteer with them. They have taught me so much and
made me a part of their team. Also to my fiancé who
supported me all throughout this experience. This experience
has given me inspiration and hope for the future and the
future of our children to enjoy our beaches.
Surfrider Foundation Long Beach Chapter gave me the
opportunity to learn how to be a true environmental activist in
my local community. From my first tabling event at an Eco-
car show expo to tabling at local high schools gave me the
passion to educate the public more on issues on a local and
global scale. We were able to effectively campaign for ‘Sink
the Breakwater’ enough for the Army Corps of Engineers to
approve a grant to study the effects of removing the
breakwater, which was our main campaign. I volunteered
with Surfrider since August of 2015 and since then I have
become an official Core Volunteer member. We have been
able to establish 29 restaurants in Long Beach and counting
as an Ocean Friendly Restaurant. Long Beach Surfrider has
made me a ocean loving activist for the years to come and
beyond!
Figure 5. Here
Jordan (left),
myself, and
Robert tabling at
CSULB’s Green
Generation Mixer
2016 and showing
my poster for
California vs. Big
Plastic SB 270
Plastic Bag Bill
Ban