- Voices of the Ocean
Blue Mind – How a young Ocean leader made a film for change
Rada is a Wavemaker, thalassophile (Ocean lover), and passionate advocate for our Ocean.
Her Wavemaker Story, an enchanting short film called ‘Blue Mind’ shows her deep love and connection to the Ocean, with the belief that to protect the Ocean, everybody must have access to the knowledge and resources to do so.
Rada first heard the Ocean through a shell when she was very young.
Rada’s name means ‘joy’ (and spellt Рада) in her native language, Bulgarian—a word she deeply identifies with. She currently studies BSc Marine Science in beautiful Cornwall, UK, but – as you can see in the film – she’s always been fascinated by the Ocean.
Rada clearly remembers hearing the Ocean when she was about 9, through a shell her grandparents brought back from Cuba. But it was probably during her first visit to the Bulgarian seaside that she first became fascinated with the sound of the Ocean echoing from a shell.
Carrying a piece of the Ocean in the form of a shell and being able to hear its voice whenever she needed it felt incredibly special for her.
Over time, however, she’s learned that we all carry the Ocean within us.
Now, by practising Blue Mind daily, Rada can hear the Ocean even when she’s not physically near it.
Like when on a hot summer day – out of the blue – she spotted a Bulgarian filmmaker, Aya, whose work she’d been following on social media for a while.
Rada gathered some courage and went up to say hello. This was followed by a lunch a few days later, also known as the start of their film ‘Blue Mind’.
Blue Mind is a combination of Rada’s and Aya’s superpowers
Rada and Aya shared their stories with each other.
As Rada was telling Aya about her deep love and connection with the Ocean, Aya brought out her notebook and started writing in it. What followed were the magical words, “Let’s make a film”.
The rest is history.
Aya’s superpower is storytelling and Rada’s is forging a connection between the enchantment of the Ocean with the hearts and minds of people.
This superpower is clearly seen in Rada’s initiative, the Thalassophile Project, too.
The EU-funded initiative, the Thalassophile Project Rada founded is dedicated to making marine science and Ocean literacy universally accessible, especially to d/Deaf and visually impaired people.
It’s based on Rada’s firm belief that to protect the Ocean, everybody must have access to the knowledge and resources to do so. Connect with the project and get involved on Instagram.
Rada first connected with Ocean Generation in a Wavemaker workshop in 2022, so it feels especially meaningful to see this project, driven by concepts we celebrate too, come to life.
There’s one thing Rada wishes everyone knew about the Ocean:
“The Ocean is interconnected; it is one big Ocean without borders or barriers. This interconnectedness is a mirror for how connected we are. We are the Ocean and the Ocean is us.
Our lives are intrinsically linked to the Ocean—all our actions impact it, which in turn influences our lives. I wish for people to understand that the Ocean is bigger than all of us—protecting it isn’t only about humanity, it’s about all life on Earth; it’s about all the creatures that don’t speak human, who cannot tell us how destructive our actions can be. It is about the future of all living things. I hope this perspective inspires the action we all need to take to preserve our Blue Planet.
You all have a unique set of skills, experiences and values that make you one-of-a-kind. Your joy and enthusiasm are a powerful force. The world of climate and Ocean action is vast and varied, and your talents, your unique magic, have a place here, too. The Ocean needs us all. Will you answer the call?”
Feeling inspired?
Learn how you can use your unique skills and values (AKA: your superpower) to make an impact on one of our Wavemaker webinars, or start your learning journey with our self-paced, online environmental workshops.
Learn how to submit your own Wavemaker Story here.
Thank you for raising your voice for the Ocean, Rada!
Connect with Rada via Instagram or LinkedIn, or check our her initiative, the Thalassophile Project. Learn about how to submit your own Wavemaker Story here.
