For those who are accepted based on their application, this event is free to attend. Food and lodging will also be provided. All attendees will stay in assigned rooms at the Dana Point Marina Inn, a nearby hotel. Attendees are responsible for getting to and from the Summit and funding their travel.

2021 dates will be announced soon. The Summit will take place from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon. Although the Summit is hosted by Algalita, the Summit will take place at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, CA.  Teams will stay at the Dana Point Marina Inn, a hotel walking distance from the venue.

You must be at least 11 years old and younger than 18 years old at the time of the Summit to be allowed to apply and attend.

Your application must be submitted online by November 6th, 2020 at 11:59 pm PST.

Approximately 100 dedicated youth will be selected to attend the Summit. Selection will be based on the content provided in your application. Here’s what we’re looking for: 1. You demonstrate that you understand plastic pollution and that you are serious about learning more and building connections. 2. Your project goes above and beyond to address plastic pollution. Your project is creative, clearly defined, realistic and timely. 3. You are ready and willing to have deep discussions and challenge the status quo. 

Each team must by chaperoned by an adult advisor who is 25 years or older. Advisors are required to accompany youth members to and from the summit and before and after programming. Advisors may attend the duration of the Summit and will be offered some advisor specific programming. Your advisor can be a parent, teacher, non-profit organization educator or any adult who is willing to travel to and from the Summit with you. We can only allow one advisor per team. If your affiliated school or organization requires 2 chaperones we can make an exception. No more than 2 adults may attend the Summit with a team.

As you know, educators empower students to take on new experiences. Consider advising a team and traveling with them. 

International travel can be tricky. If you are applying from outside of the United States, we require that you apply under an advisor from an accredited non-profit organization or school. We will connect with the organization or school as a part of reviewing your application. Beware that obtaining travel documents can take a long time, a lot of effort, and extra funds. We will provide invitation letters to accepted international teams, but cannot provide further assistance. Algalita works closely with GreenContributor Inc. Canada to activate youth leaders from around the world to launch action-oriented solutions to reduce plastic waste. GreenContributor Inc. is a Canadian-based organization involved in educational, environmental, and entrepreneurial initiatives. GreenContributor seeks to create a platform that provides an opportunity for students and the general community to participate in environmental initiatives, besides providing environment education and a 360 degree perspective of global issues to mold students in becoming Global Environmental Ambassadors. Students are offered collaborative multidisciplinary programs and platforms in different parts of the world to test & implement their ideas and creations. Other student opportunities include internships, summer programs & entrepreneurial experiences with stake holder options. Some of the projects designed by GreenContributor are used by institutes as their examples under United Nation Academic Impact initiatives. Due to the challenges of coordinating travel, some international teams may be able to exceed the maximum team member amount of 4 students; however, international teams may not exceed 10 students. The logistics of their travel arrangements will be taken care of by GreenContributor.

Check out the other education and leadership programs that Algalita provides! We have Debris Science Investigation Kits you can get for your classroom, a brand new online platform called Wayfinder Society, the Innovation Forum every August, and the Experienceship program for Southern California college students and young professionals.

You are welcome to apply again to share the progress on your project or bring a new one, but we also want to open the opportunity for new students, so we ask that you invite at least one new team member to submit with you. Keep in mind that teams with new youth leaders will be given priority. If you’ve already attended the Summit or are over 18, apply for our Summit sequel, the Innovation Forum! We also have a semester long internship available for local SoCal college students and young professionals.

You are responsible for raising the money to travel to and from the Summit. Finding funding is a huge part of any project, so it’s a great time to sharpen your skills. Here are some ideas: + Host fundraisers in your school or community. + Sell reusables with your school/team logo to your school staff, administration and peers. + Host a community beach/street clean up and collect pledges for each piece of plastic trash you pick up. + Promise local businesses a presentation based on what your team learned at the Summit in exchange for a donation. + Contact a local airline and ask them to sponsor your team’s travel. + Ask friends and family to donate their airline miles to your trip. If you’re still having trouble raising enough, Algalita has a VERY limited amount of funding available to assist teams with travel costs based on need. Please keep in mind that even selected scholarship recipients will be responsible for raising a portion of their travel costs. If you would like to be considered to receive support, please contact anika@algalita.org with a brief summary of your expected costs and a 100 word statement about your team.