Florida 10-year-old hopes to spark global movement to keep beaches clean

Sasha Olsen is on a mission to clean up the world’s oceans and beaches, and hopes other kids will join her.

Olsen, 10, lives in Bal Harbour, Florida. Last summer, her family went on a trip to Vietnam and Japan, and she was upset by the polluted water. «I wanted to know why things were this way, but couldn’t find an answer,» she told The Miami Herald. When she returned home, Olsen learned there were problems in her backyard, as several South Florida beaches closed because there was too much bacteria in the water.

Olsen decided it was time to do something, and joined forces with her cousin Narmina Aliyev, a recent college graduate with a degree in business. They started a nonprofit called Iwantmyoceanback, and hold beach cleanups and fundraisers to help organizations like the World Wildlife Fund and Sea Turtle Conservancy. At events, kids learn about how to stop pollution and create art out of micro plastics found during beach cleanups.

Iwantmyoceanback is spreading the word online, too, through its YouTube channel, Studio IWMOB. During her Table Talks interviews, Olsen chats with guests about the ocean and how to protect the world’s water. Together, they create a painting, which is signed by the guest and then auctioned off as a fundraiser. Olsen’s first guest was singer Jencarlos Canela, who has 3.4 million Instagram followers. He praised Olsen, telling fans that «at 10 years old» she is «more conscious and aware than most adults I know.»