EarthEcho Youth Leadership Council members Amelia Fortgang and Maanit Goel joined EarthEcho staff and partners at the 5th International Marine Protected Area Congress in Vancouver, Canada. As the first major ocean convening following the adoption of the Global Biodiversity Framework and commitment to protect 30% of the global ocean by 2030, the Congress provided a unique opportunity to unite youth leaders alongside government officials, conservation organizations, marine protected area managers, maritime industry representatives, indigenous leaders, and scientists to outline plans and opportunities to scale up global ocean protection efforts. Central to the Congress was an overarching focus on the engagement of youth and young professionals, which was reflected with nearly one-third of the Congress attendees under the age of 30. Through this convening, YLC members Amelia and Maanit, joined Bruna Valença, Sean Russell, and National Ocean Protection Coalition Executive Director, Amy Kenney, to host a symposium session highlighting the OceanEcho 30x30 campaign, the impact of youth leaders building support for the 30x30 target, and our GenSea community, the next wave of our work to grow our global network of young ocean advocates. YLC Alumni Isha Sangani, and OceanEcho 30x30 Fellows Muskan Lamba and Destiny Bristol Kushin also attended the Congress and spoke at events including Marine Conservation Institute’s Blue Parks Awards and sessions focused on the U.S. 30x30 goal and indigenous led ocean protection. Throughout the week, our team met with a global community of partners to outline expanded opportunities for youth engagement in the implementation of the 30x30 goal and participated in the IMPAC5 Leadership Forum to elevate these points in the high level dialogues at the Congress.