Ocean Ambassadors · May 1–7, 2027
In May 2027, a small group of teenagers from New Orleans and Pittsburgh will spend a week on the water and in the rainforest of Southeast Alaska, working alongside scientists at the Sitka Sound Science Center. Live Oak selects the New Orleans group.
Three organizations
Ocean Ambassadors hosts the week in Sitka. Live Oak and The Neighborhood Academy each select young people, send an adult with them, and welcome them back home afterward.
Founded by Brendan Jones, a writer and commercial fisherman based in Sitka, Ocean Ambassadors brings teenagers from underserved communities to Sitka for a week on the water and in the rainforest of Southeast Alaska.
Working alongside scientists at the Sitka Sound Science Center, students encounter a world completely unlike anything they have known, and leave Alaska with a deeper understanding of the ocean, the people who depend on it, and themselves.
Live Oak connects diverse, values-aligned youth from New Orleans at sleep-away camp, and then invests in their success all year-round. The participants in the Ocean Ambassadors LOWA Trip will return to the Live Oak community and share their experiences with fellow campers, CITs, staff, and families.
The Neighborhood Academy (TNA) is a college-preparatory school serving students in grades 6–12 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We believe education is about more than academics: it is about developing confident, capable leaders who are prepared for college, careers, and citizenship.
Through strong academics, mentorship, character development, and meaningful community connections, we empower students to work hard, take responsibility for themselves and others, and build the skills and relationships they need to thrive. At the heart of our work is a commitment to breaking the cycle of generational poverty and ensuring every student has the opportunity and support to reach their full potential.
TNA selects the Pittsburgh group and sends its own adult chaperone with them.
Why it exists
Ocean Ambassadors was created in memory of Justin Ehrenwerth, a coastal policy and environmental justice leader and Brendan’s closest friend, who believed that access to wild places and scientific knowledge should not be determined by zip code.
Brendan grew up in inner-city Philadelphia and came to Sitka in 1997 at nineteen years old, spending eight months living in the woods. Ocean Ambassadors is his way of offering something like it to young people who might not otherwise get the chance.
May 1–7, 2027
Sitka sits on the outer coast of Baranof Island, inside the Tongass National Forest and on the edge of the North Pacific. The week is built around the water: the beaches and tide pools, the boats and the harbor, and the people whose living comes off that coast.
The Sitka Sound Science Center leads the program, with classes and hikes from other Sitka organizations. The group lives and eats at the Sitka Fine Arts Camp, across the street.
The schedule may shift with weather and tides.
Who we are looking for
New Orleans and Pittsburgh select against the same five qualities, so the whole group is chosen the same way. You do not need a background in science. You do not need to have been to Alaska, or on a boat, or anywhere far from home.
How to apply
There are two parallel tracks. New Orleans applicants apply through the Live Oak application: choose Ocean Ambassadors as an offering and answer the questions below. Pittsburgh students apply through The Neighborhood Academy’s own application, which uses the same questions. Each organization reviews its own applicants.
These are Live Oak’s dates. The Neighborhood Academy’s dates may differ.
The application questions
We also name one alternate. If a selected young person cannot travel, the alternate goes in their place.
New Orleans
For further details or to apply, visit CampInTouch if you are a Live Oak camper, CIT, or family member.
Pittsburgh
If you are a student at The Neighborhood Academy, contact TNA to apply.
Questions
If your question is not here, write to us at jack@liveoakcamp.com.
Sitka
Photographs by Brendan Jones.
Pittsburgh
Neighborhood Academy students on the rivers of Pittsburgh. Photographs courtesy of The Neighborhood Academy.
Contact