This European Social Enterprise Is Giving Gen Z Jobs They Actually Want -- And Protecting Our Oceans

A European social enterprise led by Wietse Van Der Werf is recruiting young people into paid “Sea Ranger” roles aimed at ocean conservation and restoration. The initiative was born in 2008 after Van Der Werf met Douglas Tompkins, founder of Esprit and The North Face, who later pledged €50,000 after a budget overshoot, according to his biography. Sea Rangers is positioned as a capacity plug for governments and industry across the European Union and the United Kingdom, handling both contract work and backlog clearing tied to climate and environmental compliance. Since 2018, 22 government contracts have been secured, with 18 never outsourced before. The program recruits people capped at age 29, with living wages starting at about $17 an hour and Van Der Werf earning roughly $65,000. Van Der Werf also links the model to youth unemployment concerns raised by institutions including the United Nations. The article cites praise from Sir David Attenborough.