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May 28, 2018 - #BlueMind Challenge

Get near, in, on or under water daily 5/28 through 9/4 & share your story widely!

Posted on May 7th, 2018

Join us for our 5th Annual Blue Mind Challenge by getting near, in, on, or under water for 100 days from Memorial Day (May 28th) through Labor Day (Sept 4th) and sharing your story using #bluemind and #100daysofblue hashtags.

Follow the #bluemind conversation on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

The official launch of #100daysofblue is on May 28th at Lake Austin. Join us from your water!

If you'd like to join us as a Blue Mind 2018 Ambassador, please email BlueMindLife@gmail.com and we will add you to the e-list. Read the updates below.

We will share events, announcement and milestones here along the way!

Blue Mind 2018 Ambassador Facebook Live updates:

Blue Mind 2018 Ambassador E-updates:

May 15th

Hello Blue Mind Ambassadors,

We appreciate you. 100 Days of Blue is the most exciting time of the year for us, and we know it couldn't and wouldn't be the same without all of you. It is your individual creativity, passions, and skill-sets that take this work to the next level, and we are beyond excited to see what we are all able to accomplish together this summer!

We want to make sure that you have the resources and clarity you need so that it is easy and fun to be Ambassadors! Please check out our 2018 Blue Mind Ambassadors Google Drive Folder to find an ever-growing and collaborative collection of resources.

A brief description of your role as a Blue Mind Ambassador
Useful media
- BM logos and graphics
- Photos
- Quotes
- Social Media Banners
- Videos
Useful text
A brief description of Blue Mind
A contacts sheet to help foster connecting + collaborating with other Ambassadors - Please add yourself if you are willing!

You all are able to upload to these folders, so please feel free to contribute anything that other Ambassadors can also use (try to help keep it well-organized). It would be amazing if a few of you put together 100 memes that we can all make use of for our 100 days! The more we all contribute to this folder, the more useful it will become.

Keep checking back in to the folder for new content for you to use! If you have any questions about how to use Google Drive, or if you have suggestions on how to improve it, please don't hesitate to reach out.

The 2018 Blue Mind Ambassadors Facebook group is the best way to communicate and share ideas with the whole group.

Much Love, Much Water.

May 14, 2018

Dear Blue Mind 2018 Ambassadors:

The official launch day for our 5th Annual 100 Days of Blue Campaign is just 2 weeks away.

We are now 120 ambassadors strong, amazing! If you’re new to this list, you’ll find previous emails here. I have also posted a short Facebook live video about Blue Mind.

Alex is putting together graphics, logos and links on the Blue Mind google drive and will share it soon. Watch for a message from him via BlueMindLife@gmail.com.

Libby at Slow Coast wanted me to remind you that as a Blue Mind Ambassador she's offering a 20% discount on blue marbles, signed Blue Mind books, t-shirts, etc. through www.slowcoast.org (enter the code OCEAN at check out).

If you are on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, please use the #bluemind hashtag to find each other. Like, share, and follow posts by fellow #bluemind ambassadors!

I'll be jumping in to Lake Austin on Day 1, May 28th and sharing as much from LASR as possible. I look forward to seeing where you all kick on 100 Days of Blue.

As ambassadors I defer to you to decide how best to creatively share the #bluemind message. Let us know how we can support you.

Thank you for your time, dedication and love of water.

May 10th, 2018

Super good news!

Libby Patterson at Slow Coast: Authentic Ocean Spirit is offering a 20% discount to all Blue Mind 2018 Ambassadors until May 28th on signed #bluemind books, blue marbles & stickers, t-shirts, etc.

If you were planning on stocking up for 100 Days of Blue, just use the discount code OCEAN in the Slow Coast store, just click on the #bluemind logo at www.slowcoast.org.

Thank you Libby!

We now have over 100 Blue Mind Ambassadors and we’re still more than two weeks away from our launch on May 28th!

Your creative ideas for taking the Blue Mind message to the world are fantastic.

We’ll keep a running log of email updates posted here.

And be sure to join the Blue Mind 2018 Ambassadors Facebook group here and get connected with #bluemind on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

May 4, 2018

We have activated the 2018 Blue Mind Ambassadors Facebook Page for those who would like to communicate and connect with fellow ambassadors during 100 Days of Blue and beyond.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/221265181725089/

Please feel free to share ideas, links, images, events, memes, videos, etc for others to use.

Looking forward to the official launch on May 28th!

#bluemind #100daysofblue

May 1, 2018

Dear Blue Mind Ambassador!

If you missed the previous updates from Alex and me or just joined us, they are included below. We’ll launch #100DaysOfBlue in just 28 days. Please get in touch with any questions or creative ideas.

I have just returned from a ten day tour that took me back to my high school, to Chicago, Flint, Michigan, to Dubuque, Iowa on the Mississippi River and to Venice and Trieste Italy on the Adriatic Sea to share Blue Mind with more water lovers. I learned a lot and feel like a shared useful information with people who can put it to good use.

Our big goal is put Blue Mind ideas into the hearts, hands and mind of those who need them most. We feel that the best way to do that is through a group of active ambassadors (you) who understand how Blue Mind connects to their personal and professional lives.

In the month ahead, be sure you have what you need to make these 100 days a big success: blue marbles and stickers, Blue Mind books, logos (attached) and the #bluemind hashtag at the ready!

If you use social media you can begin by searching for, following and liking posts that use #bluemind, You can also leave #bluemind as a comment on posts that are relevant to our efforts to make them easier for this community to find.

On Sunday we wrapped up our Blue Mind Online Book Club where we read together for 70 nights straight logging over 30,000 views. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Kevin Sofen <KevinSofen@darley.com> will be helping a lot this summer with outreach, Blue Mind sponsorships as well as efforts to build our Patreon campaign. If you have skills in those areas (fundraising and finding sponsors) please contact Kevin.

Personally, I’d like to see this 5th Annual #100DaysOfBlue Campaign reach further than the previous four combined.

The only way to do that will be for all of us to have fun near, in, on or under water all summer and share the experience as far and wide as we can!

We currently have a total of 80 ambassadors and our goal is to begin with 100, so please invite anyone who may be interested to join us by emailing their interest to BlueMindLife@gmail.com

Earlier Blue Mind Ambassador Updates:

Thank you all for being 2018 #BlueMind Ambassadors, it’s going to be our best year ever!

We officially began this journey a decade ago. Ten years, many summits, heaps of studies, hundreds of ambassadors, thousands of workshops and keynotes later The #BlueMind Experience has changed the conversation about water for good.

But there is a long way to go to ensuring that every person understands and has access to the full benefits of healthy waters. As Dr. Lewis Elliott, psychologist at the University of Exeter Medical School puts it:

“Most people head to these ‘blue’ environments for relaxation and social reasons.” But these aspects are rarely discussed, taught or included in coastal, marine or MPA policy reports, lectures, educational materials and outreach. "When developing marine plans in high level policy making...rarely are people’s health & well-being benefits from coastal environments taken into account.”

But we can change that! And THAT is the role of the #BlueMind Ambassadors.

Here are a few bits of information:

1. We’ll send one email update each week, at most. Please feel free to stay in touch in other ways and request any resources you need. We’ll explore other ways to network with each other too. And please feel free to step out of the flow any time!

2. Use the #bluemind hashtag on social media in your posts and in comments so that others can track the conversation. Beginning on Memorial Day (May 28th) we’ll also use #100daysofblue (more on that soon!) In the mean time feel free to join our nightly live online bookclub (5pm PDT/8pm EDT) via my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/wallacejnichols.

3. In addition to our creativity, voice and social media network, our tools include signed Blue Mind books, blue marbles, #bluemind t-shirts stickers and more. Get what you need via SlowCoast.org. For larger events, get in touch with libby@slowcoast.org

4. Our funding for this work has always been modest, mainly through crowdfunding. If you have ideas about suitable sponsors and partners we are open! Your role as an ambassador is NOT fundraising…unless that’s your thing.

Blue Mind research, ideas and philosophies are meant to enhance the work across the nine sectors we engage with most frequently. As an ambassador it’s best if you focus on the sector(s) you’re most excited about, best connected to or personally/professionally part of.

For example, if you manage a dive or surf shop, let’s get some books and blue marbles there for your customers. If you’re involved in a school or non-profit, Blue Mind can help engage with students and supporters.

We are happy to have one-on-one calls or Skype sessions to explore your ideas.

Our experience has been that the Blue Mind book is often the gateway to a deeper understanding of the research and the blue marbles are the perfect way to keep the conversation growing.

A few of my personal goals for 2018 are:

~ Publish Live Blue, the sequel to Blue Mind (Oct 2018) and put books into the hands of those who need them most

~ Hold our 8th Annual Blue Mind Summit in Miami (Oct 2018)

~ Bring my best effort to workshops and keynotes throughout the year

~ Light up social media with the #bluemind hashtag, images and messages

~ See the first Blue Mind exhibit installed at a museum/science center

~ Produce a Blue Mind module for educators

~ Respond to the needs of every Blue Mind Ambassador

That is more than enough information for now. Until next week.

Hello Blue Mind Ambassadors!

We’re just a little over a month away and we are excited to share our 5th Annual 100 Days of Blue journey with all of you!

Last year, #100daysofblue reached hundreds of thousands of people around the globe and we had many people feeling the benefits of waters and oceans after getting near, in, on, or under it every day for 100 days.

This year, we have already doubled the number of ambassadors we had last year and want to expand our reach even further. Please invite anyone you think would be a good addition to join us.

The first step for all of our ambassadors should be to follow @Bluemind + @bluemindlife on all social media channels, follow #bluemind + #100daysofblue and get yourself some blue marbles from slowcoast.org!

We want our blue wave to make a massive splash! Before we fully dive in on this campaign, we want to hear from you, our ambassadors.

What creative ideas do you have to make this year's campaign as successful as possible? Any insights, thoughts, strategies, etc. would be most appreciated.

What platforms should ambassadors be communicating through?
Would you be open to live-streaming any of your 100 Days of Blue experience?
Are there any tools that would be particularly useful to you or that other ambassadors should be made aware of?
What water-loving celebrities, influencers, leaders, gatekeepers, journalists, artists, etc. are you able to contact to get involved?
How do you monitor your own reach/impact? Any tips for fellow ambassadors?
Have you chosen a specific sector to focus on from WET HEARTS? What is your experience/involvement in this sector? Would you be willing to reach out to media, businesses and non-profits in your chosen sector?
- WET HEARTS sectors:
  - Water + food infrastructure
  - Environment + conservation
  - Technology + innovation
  - Health + wellness
  - Education + parenting
  - Arts, architecture + design
  - Real estate + planning
  - Travel + leisure
  - Sports + recreation

How can we best utilize this campaign to bolster the broader Blue Mind efforts such as fundraising, engaging potential donors + sponsors, and setting up new partnerships? If you have ideas and contacts, will you help connect us with them?

If you were an ambassador last year, what worked or didn't work for you? For example, do you prefer weekly emails or calls?

How can we best support you in your ambassador endeavors?

As you consider these questions, it may be helpful to think about what Blue Mind means to you. How did you first hear about it, what impact has it had on your life, how have you shared it so far? We want as many others as possible to have access to these same impacts and benefits!

Thank you so much for being an amazing group of ambassadors, and for taking a little time before this campaign begins to help us make this as powerful of an experience as we can! We are stoked to embark on 100 Days of Blue with you all!

We will gather up your responses and share a summary along with some of our general goals for 2018 and some social media banners.

April 5, 2018