Ocean Month in Action: Reflections on the 2026 RLI Deep Dive: Action Lab

July 30, 2026

What happens when you bring together a group of experienced #LatinosMarinos advocates, give them a real-world policy challenge, and ask them to build solutions together?

That was the question at the heart of the 2026 Azul Rising Leaders Initiative Deep Dive: Action Lab.

Unlike previous Azul trainings, this year’s Action Lab was intentionally designed to be less conference and more hackathon. When planning the program, Azul’s Founder and Executive Director, Marcela Gutiérrez-Graudiņš, challenged the team to move beyond traditional presentations and create a space where participants could actively workshop strategies, test ideas, sharpen their advocacy skills, and collaborate with one another in real time. 

The result was an intensive week in Washington, DC, focused on one of the most pressing challenges facing our ocean: Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The year’s cohort was made up entirely of returning advocates who had previously completed Azul advocacy training programs. Several participants were attending Semana Azul in Washington, DC, for the third time, bringing years of experience, relationships, and leadership development back into the room. Rather than introducing participants to advocacy, the Action Lab focused on helping them strengthen existing skills and put them into action.  

The RLI Deep Dive: Action Lab featured hands-on work on strategy and campaigns.

Building Advocates Through Action

The week began with a hands-on workshop designed to mirror the realities of advocacy campaign work. Participants worked through policy challenges, practiced messaging and storytelling, refined meeting strategies, and received individualized coaching from Azul staff and partners. 

Advocates had the opportunity to work directly with Azul’s Founder and Executive Director, Marcela Gutiérrez-Graudiņš, on strategy, gaining insight from her experience and leadership, and Sean Cosgrove, who worked closely with advocates on campaign planning, helping them translate ideas into actionable plans.   

The goal was simple: less lecture, more action.

For Kevin Hernandez of Chicago, Illinois, the experience reinforced the power of collective leadership:

“My commitment to community as an ocean advocate only grows stronger each time I’m part of RLI. This Action Lab experience was no exception. This program has allowed me to understand how important we all are in this movement and that no matter what our background may be, we are all experts in being stewards of change. There are a lot of problems that we need to tackle, in the ocean space and beyond, but Azul has helped me be confident in my advocacy skills and in having a positive outlook on our future because if we’re the next generation of leaders, then we’re in good hands.”

That focus on people-centered advocacy became a recurring theme throughout the week.

Natalia Valencia of East Patchogue, New York, reflected:

“The RLI Deep Dive: Action Lab experience reminded me that ocean justice is fundamentally about people and community. We achieve very little by pouring time and money into changing the reality of the ocean if we leave behind the communities most affected by those decisions.”

Marcela Gutiérrez-Graudiņš, Azul Founder and Executive Director, and the 2026 Azul Rising Leaders on the steps of Capitol Hill ahead of a day of advocacy,

Taking Advocacy to Capitol Hill

Advocates met directly with congressional offices to discuss efforts on combatting IUU fishing. Participants shared their personal stories, connected policy to community impacts, and demonstrated the growing leadership of the next generation of ocean advocates.

For many, these conversations represented an opportunity to bridge science, policy, and lived experience.

Amiel Flores of Los Angeles shared:

“I am grateful to have participated in the Rising Leader Initiative because it’s given me the opportunity to talk with elected officials. Coming from a background and training in marine science, I hope that the work that I produce can be knowledge that can be used towards ocean conservation and justice. It’s vital for my generation to have voices at the table with decision makers so that we can fight for an Ocean and future we’ll inherit, and I’m thankful to have been able to speak towards that mission.”

The 2026 Azul Rising Leaders and 2026 ACP Fellows at the ACP Reception.

The delegation also attended a reception hosted by the Aquarum Conservation Partnership to recognize Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Senator Dan Sullivan for their bipartisan leadership in efforts to stop IUU fishing. The reception also celebrated the inaugural class of ACP Fellows, a program that was modeled in part after Azul’s Rising Leaders Initiative. Ayana Melvan, Executive Vice President of ACP shared her reflection:

“The Aquarium Conservation Partnership (ACP) is proud of our first cohort of Policy Fellows, and we were honored to celebrate them in DC during Ocean Week with our amazing partners from Azul. We have used several models to make this first cohort a success, including the Rising Leaders Initiative, which Azul created. We are extremely grateful to graduate 11 ACP Policy Fellows, through a multigenerational approach to strengthen our members advocacy efforts for ocean and environmental justice, moving policymakers around conservation action, and empowering people who might not call themselves a Policy person. Celebrating with Azul in June was an incredible display of building a movement with community.”

Marcela Gutiérrez-Graudiņš, Azul Founder and Executive Director, with the 2026 Azul Rising Leaders at Upwell 2026.

A Growing Wave for the Ocean

Throughout the week, participants immersed themselves in events in the border ocean policy community.

At Capitol Hill Ocean Week, participants attended a panel focused on IUU fishing, tying into this year’s Action Lab’s policy focus.

At Upwell: A Wave of Ocean Justice, they joined advocates, organizers, scientists, policymakers, and community leaders working to ensure that ocean conservation reflects the needs and experiences of all communities. 

Originally created as a space to support and affirm the inaugural cohort of Azul Rising Leaders, Upwell has now grown into a community-wide gathering that brings together voices from across the ocean justice space. Its evolution reflects the expanding network of leaders and partners committed to building a more inclusive and people-centered approach to ocean conservation. 

Azul’s Founder and Executive Director, Marcela Gutiérrez-Graudiņš, shared a powerful lesson during her opening remarks at Upwell: policy without people is just paper. 

Margaret Do of San Diego reflected on how the experience strengthened her belief in community-driven change:

“The RLI Deep Dive: Action Lab showed me that policy is most effective when communities are part of shaping it. Through Azul, I’ve had the opportunity to move beyond studying ocean and environmental issues and advocate directly for solutions that advance conservation and justice. The RLI Deep Dive Workshop gave me a better understanding of the nuances in strategic policy campaigning and reinforced my understanding of policy processes at the federal level; Capitol Hill Day expanded my ocean policy advocacy experience to federal policies. My experience with Azul also inspired me to help create ARISE, a community for Asian and Pacific Islander professionals in sustainability and environmental fields. More than anything, the Action Lab reinforced my belief that strong communities are at the heart of lasting change.”

Azul presented Rep. Salud Carbajal with an Estrella Marina Award for his leadership on ocean justice and the fight against offshore drilling.

Ocean Justice Does Not End At the Water’s Edge

One of the most powerful reminders from the week was that ocean advocacy is not limited to those who live on the coast.

Participants traveled to Washington, DC, from communities across the country, bringing perspectives shaped by rivers, lakes, fisheries, ports, working waterfronts, and inland communities connected to the ocean in ways that are often overlooked.

Madelyn Garcia of Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania, reflected:

“The RLI Deep Dive: Action Lab reminded me that ocean advocacy is not limited by geography. My own journey has been shaped by water, from the tidal East River in the Bronx to the Delaware River in Pennsylvania, and both have shown me that waterways carry more than water. They carry community, history, responsibility, and impact. Focusing on the FISH Act helped me see how a global issue can become a local conversation about justice, labor, conservation, and accountability. For me, the biggest takeaway was simple: protecting the ocean begins long before water reaches the coast.”

For Jasmine Carter of Eagle River, Alaska, the experience highlighted the importance of bringing diverse voices into the conversation:

“We are ALL needed in this work, artists, organizers, and scientists. Attending the RLI Deep Dive: Action Lab gave me the insight and tools into what we can be doing right now to help those in the fishing industry.”

The 2026 Azul Rising Leaders had the opportunity to visit the Mexican Cultural Institute in DC.

The Power of Returning Leaders

Perhaps the most rewarding aspect of this year’s Action Lab was seeing how far participants have come since first joining Azul’s programs.

Returning advocates organically stepped into mentorship roles, shared lessons learned from previous years, and helped support newer members of the broader #LatinosMarinos network. The experience demonstrated that leadership development is not a one-time event but an ongoing process built through practice, community, and opportunity.  

For longtime RLI mentor Oscar Rodriguez of Santa Ana, California, that growth is what keeps him coming back.

As the 2026 RLI Deep Dive: Action Lab came to a close, participants left Washington, DC, with new skills, stronger networks, deeper confidence, and a renewed commitment to building an ocean movement that reflects the communities it serves.

The future of ocean justice will require bold ideas, collaborative problem-solving, and leaders willing to turn knowledge into action.

This year’s Action Lab proved that those leaders are already here.