The solution

To promote mental health awareness and community resilience an online watch party was held on Monday, 12 December 2022 on zoom with funding from a Stay Afloat Community Resilience Grant, hosted by OceanWatch. The movie night was hosted on Scener, an online hosting platform which allows the synchronised viewing of movies, as well as chat functions. The party met on Zoom prior to commencing the movie, and a Zoom de-brief discussion followed after the movie, which was facilitated by a mental health professional. The discussion touched on a few themes that came up in the movie and allowed for further connections and conversations to take place. The session was designed to provide a supportive environment to discuss ideas and/or raise any issues of concern. At the end of the session links to mental health resources were provided.

"The Oyster Farmers" is a true story of the Barnegat Bay oyster farmers and a celebration of oyster farming and the deep connection it brings to the natural environment. It depicts the ups and downs of oyster farming while it centres around a positive case study of a plight to save and replenish natural oyster reefs. Through great story telling, it offers a keyhole view of human impact on the environment, following the oyster from proliferation, to decimation, to resurgence, through community action and conservation measures. It is a story of collectively coming together as oyster farmers of Barnegat Bay that have been working in the waters for the past four centuries with an ethos of environmental stewardship being the film’s driving force. It celebrates oyster farmers and their commitment to sustainable seafood. This local example draws parallels to matters of global urgency – the climate crisis, sustainable farming, primary production, marine and coastal health, rural education, and livelihoods.