Student Artists: Alivia, Michelle, Caitlin, Audrey, Xena, Killian, Liam, Gia, Natalia, Anaya, Juana, Lucy, and Neci

Artist Partner: Nessa Ledesma, Santa Cruz County Artist (@artbycreativeness)

“We created our art piece to be displayed on a city bus for our region’s local transit system. This art was a collaborative piece created by a group of 13 young artists/highschool and junior high students, allowing each individual to express their creativity and convey a message to the public. We chose the message “Healthy Oceans = Healthy Future” to represent our oceans within our very own backyard; we want to remind people that having a healthy environment and ocean ecosystem is key to the overall health and happiness of our community and our lives. The ocean is not only an important habitat that provides basic resources essential to all life, like food and oxygen, but it is also the source of many aspects in life that allow people to thrive: scenery, activities, leisure, spiritual connections, psychological benefits, education opportunities, jobs, and inspiration. If we continue to do nothing about current environmental problems within our own community, and oceans on a global scale, then we will no longer have “Healthy Oceans = Healthy Future” to show our future generations. Each letter has a design connected to our oceans, whether that is shown with a kayaker, dogface eel, kelp forest, Capitola beach, or with the metal diving helmet. Since each letter was created individually, we used a variety of art mediums and we all had unique styles of art.” -2022 Aptos Community Youth Program Youth Transit Art Team