During our first meeting with Brenden Sing, the founder of Shark Guardian and our community partner in Thailand, he shared the primary goal of the eOCEANS app: to have “one billion observations per day of sharks or no sharks…to understand their threats and where they are thriving.” (eOceans is a citizen science app that allows users to record marine observations.) As enthusiastic as I was about the ACE program, I remember thinking there wasn’t a chance for us to make significant progress towards the lofty goal of eOCEANS during a three-week program, especially one that was virtual. One billion observations seemed implausible, and I questioned whether virtual service projects had any impact. In the past, I have volunteered, but these were all on-site projects. For the first time ever, I tried to help a non-profit located nearly 10,000 miles away. Throughout the program, those thoughts continued to echo throughout my brain. Yet by the end of the three weeks, my initial judgments were proven wrong as I experienced firsthand the widespread impact that our social media campaign and presentations had globally.
I highly doubted the impact a virtual program could have on conservation efforts. But after the meeting, I realized the global impact of our program, something that made the entire experience far more meaningful.
– Henry Morrissey, Stanford Men’s Swimming and Diving
One of the most significant moments that changed my perspective on virtual service internships was our presentation during GVI’s “family” organization-wide meeting during the final week of the project. Since the “family meeting” consists of GVI staff, global hubs, and partner organizations from around the world, we pitched them on joining eOCEANS and contributing valuable data to help us achieve the one billion observation goal. At the end of the meeting, GVI’s chief operating officer announced that they would implement the app across all of their global hubs. From my base location in Stanford, CA, and with my teammates worldwide, we advocated for and successfully implemented concrete steps toward increasing eOCEANS observations. As I noted earlier, I highly doubted the impact a virtual program could have on conservation efforts. But after the meeting, I realized the global impact of our program, something that made the entire experience far more meaningful.
The entire program reshaped my perspective on what genuine impact looks like: you don’t have to be located in a certain place to bring awareness to issues.
– Henry Morrissey, Stanford Men’s Swimming and Diving
Through the virtual experience, I realize now that I can have an impact on communities near or far away, even while continuing to carry out daily activities. The entire program reshaped my perspective on what genuine impact looks like: you don’t have to be located in a certain place to bring awareness to issues. Our social media campaign and presentation both increased attention to the importance of data and observations for scientists, which enables policy change that benefits citizens and the marine ecosystem. Personally, the task of dedicating my time and energy to a service project has daunted me in the past. But as a result of my ACE experience, I am far more willing to help with issues that I care about because I now understand the potential impact I can make from home. I am grateful for the memories I shared with the team. I am extremely thankful that Brendon allowed us to work with him and Shark Guardian because I now understand the value of virtual service.