Briar Dohner, executive director of Choose Life Jackets
Why are you passionate about encouraging people your age to wear a life jacket?
During my freshman year of high school, my dad took my sister and myself out on his new catamaran sailboat at Canyon Lake in Texas. Before we launched, he made sure we were both wearing our life jackets. After a while on the water, my sister asked if we could take them off. I reached for my buckles, but my gut told me to keep it on.
Not long after, a sudden, massive surge of wind caught the boat and flipped it completely. I was thrown into the water, separated from my family, and pushed further and further away by the wind. I tried to swim back to the boat, but the waves and current were just too strong. Realizing I couldn’t fight the elements, I stopped swimming to save my energy and let my life jacket do its job.
I was stranded in the water for over an hour before a passing powerboat finally spotted me and pulled me to safety. Without my life jacket keeping me afloat when my energy ran out, I might not be here today. That experience ignited a fire in me: I want to make sure everyone my age knows that a life jacket is the difference between a close call and a tragedy.
What kinds of boating safety messages actually connect with Gen Z and Gen Alpha?
You have to meet our generation where we actually spend our time: Scrolling on TikTok and Instagram. Long, boring safety lectures don’t work for us. We need short, authentic, and relatable content. For Gen Z and Gen Alpha, aesthetics and social image are a huge deal, and there’s an unfortunate stigma that life jackets ruin your outfit or look uncool. To actually reach young people, we have to change that mindset. We need to frame wearing a life jacket not as a clunky accessory, but as an essential lifestyle choice. Messages need to emphasize that while your outfit is temporary, your life is everything. When influencers and everyday teens normalize wearing them in their posts, it sends a powerful message: safety is way cooler than trying to look perfect for a picture.
What are the most important things young paddlers should do before heading out on the water?
The absolute most important rule is to actually wear your life jacket and zip it up securely before you leave the dock. A lot of young people just toss it on the back of their paddleboard or kayak, thinking they can grab it if something goes wrong. But accidents happen in seconds. When a boat tips, you can’t fight the shock of the water, the wind, and the waves while trying to put on and buckle a jacket. You have to be wearing it before the emergency starts.
Also, don’t let your swimming skills give you false confidence. You could be the best swimmer on your high school team, but open water is completely unpredictable. The elements – currents, wind, and dropping temperatures – will eventually outlast your physical strength. A life jacket never gets tired.
What challenge would you give young paddlers during Paddlecraft Safety Month?
My challenge to young paddlers is simple: Buckle up, zip up, and own it. Make it a non-negotiable habit every single time you hit the water and challenge your friends to do the exact same thing. I challenge you to take a picture in your life jacket and post it. Let’s break the stigma together. Don’t let the fear of looking a little ‘nerdy’ stop you from making a smart choice. At the end of the day, there is absolutely nothing nerdy about staying alive and getting to go home to your family. Wear it proudly, because that jacket means you respect the water and value your own life.
Briar Dohner is the executive director of Choose Life Jackets, a nonprofit dedicated to revolutionizing water safety for Gen Z and Gen Alpha. In 2023, she survived a terrifying boating accident when an unexpected windstorm flipped her family’s boat, leaving her stranded in the water for over an hour. Her life jacket saved her life. Now, she speaks and advocates to ensure every young water enthusiast knows that wearing a life jacket isn’t just a fashion statement, it’s a lifestyle.