SCEC is fortunate to have a team of dedicated and passionate individuals who power our campaigns. Makayla and Julz have been volunteering at SCEC in the marine team, here's an update on their experience:

Our names are Makayla and Julz, and we are Animal Ecology students at USC. When we first showed interest in volunteering at SCEC, we were given the option of what we would like to do. We chose to focus on the shark net campaign, working in events, social media and research. We started by researching the impacts of shark nets, and the alternative non-lethal measures that are available as an alternative. We used this information to make posts on social media and share information with the public. We also used our research to create a shark net campaign, which focuses on raising awareness and getting the community on board with replacing nets with non-lethal alternatives. In order to spread awareness, we got to attend events, beach clean ups, and host market stalls, where we had petitions for the community to sign. Through the discussions with the community, we realised that a large proportion of people on the Sunshine Coast want the nets out, which fueled the rest of our campaign. We have learned so much from volunteering here at SCEC, and highly recommend it to everyone.

Julz and Makayla with the youngest member of the marine team Eiliyah with her diarama

The marine team running for sharks at the Sunshine Coast Marathon