On the 15th of Febuary, the YATZ worked to clean up Brighton Beach. Not only did we manage to pick up enough rubbish to make our bag burst, but we also enjoyed the many activities put on for us by our lovely mentors.

We played many games involving forms of non-verbal communication which allowed us to get out of our comfort zones. We also worked on a few mindfulness activities, such as the Magic Spot exercise and some incredibly entertaining yoga led by Cam. However, among all of the fun stuff, the trip was educational. We discussed the importance of sand dunes and the washed up deposits of wrack (which Paul had a lot of fun explaining).

We worked together to sort the plastic we had collected over the day into the four separate waste bins: biodegradable waste, soft plastics, hard recyclables, and landfill. At the end of the day, Charlize (Mentor Charlize) and Hannah.T allowed us to reflect on the issues of plastic pollution within our oceans and what we can do to help. This involved the mentions of plastics in places you wouldn’t expect, like the microbeads within some care products. Overall, we worked well together to learn about the importance of reducing waste and keeping our beaches clean while having lots of fun and enjoying the wonderful area.

Charlize Culf, YATZ