Around 300 youth from around the world are at UBC this weekend, creating campaigns to combat ocean plastic pollution.

The second annual Ocean Heroes Bootcamp is a three-day conference open to youth aged 11 to 18. Over the weekend, youth will take part in sessions that teach them how to campaign, interact with media and pitch ideas. 

By Sunday, some participants are nominated to present their elevator pitches to a panel of judges. 

Robbie Bond, who is attending the conference this weekend, already has one idea mapped out.

"My campaign was to create a public service announcement that would be on airplanes, kind of like a plastic safety video," he told CTV Morning Live on Friday. "It would educate people that are flying to places that have a lot of plastic to say, 'don't use that' and 'use alternatives like canned water or reusable water bottles,' stuff like that."

The young environmental activist credits his grandpa for his passion.

"He was the manager of a marine reserve called Hanauma Bay in Hawaii and he taught me a lot about how the oceans, you can't get them back once they're damaged. You can't get them back to the way they once were," Bond said. "He's been teaching me a lot about conservation and preservation."

Adrian Grenier, actor and U.N. Environmental Goodwill Ambassador, will be on the judging panel this weekend when youth present their campaign ideas. 

"It really is all about the kids. We're here to support them in creating campaigns they can take back to their communities because nobody knows how to communicate better to their peers and to the people around them than the kids," Grenier said. 

"So we're just there to support them, give them some tips and then help hone and cultivate their campaign."

Grenier added that youth are playing a big role in climate movements.

"Awareness is exploding and certainly now that we have the kids out there letting everyone know that they're not going to take it anymore and they want to make sure they have a future without plastic on their beaches and in their oceans and in their food," he said. 

Bond also participated in the first Ocean Heroes Bootcamp, which took place in New Orleans last year. 

"The best part about Ocean Heroes is the collaboration," he said. "One kid can do a lot, but if you get a bunch of kids together to do something as a group, they can accomplish a lot more."