POMPANO BEACH, Fla. — Many young volunteers spent this past Saturday along the shoreline in Pompano Beach as part of a youth-focused beach cleanup event aimed at teaching environmental responsibility.

Students were seen picking up trash along the beach as part of the organized effort, which brought together Heart of the Hive and Reef Boys along with support from multiple sponsors.

Organizers said the cleanup was designed specifically for children, giving them a hands-on way to help protect the environment while also learning about community involvement.

“We just want to show them how life is supposed to be. It’s more about mentorship and the influence, said Nakiyah Dawkins, director of Heart of the Hive. ”Just not being home and sitting at home but just coming out to enjoy the environment and being able to cleanup and be a helping hand."

Marissa Merlano of Reef Boys said the goal is to get young people engaged early in environmental efforts.

“It feels really good to come clean the beach it’s what I’m passionate about but I think it’s really important to get kids in on this and to care about the ocean and protecting the beach,” Merlano said.

Organizers said the event was about more than just cleaning the shoreline, but also teaching responsibility and encouraging kids to take pride in protecting the environment.

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