Brigitta is a member of Gunawan generation17a samsung and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) The partnership is empowering the youth who are contributing to global goals.
Since 2020, Generation17 has supported young leaders around the world with Samsung Galaxy technology, mentorship, and networking opportunities to amplify their stories and solutions.
A snorkeling trip to Indonesia’s Nusa Penida island as a teenager changed everything for Brigitta Gunawan. The reef was teeming with life, with fish weaving among the coral in extraordinary colours. It was as if he had never seen anything. Back on shore, one thought lingered in his mind: Most people would never experience this.
Brigitta grew up in Jakarta, an inland industrial city far from the reef, but she always felt drawn to the water. He also took his first steps on a beach in Bali. After a snorkeling trip to Nusa Penida, that connection turned into something else: a sense of responsibility.
According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), rising oceans, pollution and overfishing have put coral reefs on a destructive trajectory. with up to 90% It is projected to become extinct by 2050. Found in more than 100 countries, coral reefs are among the most important ecosystems in the ocean – supporting marine life, protecting coastlines and sustaining the communities that depend on them. Globally, more than a billion people Depend on healthy oceans for their livelihoods.
“We were going to lose so much in such a short time,” says Brigitta. “I decided there was something I could do.”
Turning hashtags into a movement
In 2021, at the age of 17, she launched 30×30 INDONESIANamed after the global effort to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030. This goal is supported by the United Nations’ global goals for climate action (goal 13) and underwater life (target 14), is considered important for the conservation of marine ecosystems. They started with just a hashtag and a call for people to submit photos holding signs of support. In the first month, more than 400 photos came in, many from schools and youth groups who had never heard of the 2030 Goals before.
“I had absolutely no experience,” says Brigitta, giving credit to her early mentors. “I enjoyed going out there and slowly building it up to what it is today.”
Soon, Brigitta expanded beyond social media. Working with a local dive community and village leaders in northeast Bali, he helped design and build a coral garden on the seabed – an artificial structure where pieces of coral are planted to help heal degraded reefs despite the warming of the ocean. Over the past five years, his team has planted more than 1,400 pieces of coral, with survival rates as high as 86%.
Technology is bringing the ocean to everyone
As her coral restoration work grew, Brigitta was faced with a profound challenge: Most people never set foot in the ocean, let alone see a reef in person. “It’s important for people to see the ocean so they know why we have to save it,” she says.
In 2024 they launch variousA free education program that uses 360-degree underwater filming to bring reefs into classrooms, which supports the United Nations’ global goal for quality education (Goal 4). Brigitta has partnered with grassroots conservation organizations around the world to capture footage. Students slip on the headsets and suddenly find themselves beneath the surface, surrounded by coral and other marine life.
Students who live inland have never seen these underwater scenes; By promoting marine literacy, Brigitta is calling for collective action to protect biodiversity.
Through workshops, online courses, diver training scholarships, conferences and events, Diversey has reached more than 20,000 people in 12 countries. Its focus on deep ocean literacy makes the undersea world real and worth preserving.
For Brigitta, the goal now is to reach more communities around the world and continue restoring reefs throughout Indonesia.
The next wave of ocean advocates
In coral reef restoration, where the numbers of reef loss can seem overwhelming, Brigitta believes it is essential to remain optimistic. “Giving up is not an option for young people,” she says. “We have to remain hopeful.”
And the best place to hold that hope? Classroom, both physical and virtual. “I believe education is very powerful,” she says. “If you do it right, you inspire young people who become future policymakers.”
