Ocean literacy is an understanding of the ocean's influence on you and your influence on the ocean. It is also an approach of marine science education that aims at creating an ocean literate society, a “Blue Society” that knows how to benefit from the ocean’s vast potential while preserving its environmental integrity. Ocean literate citizens can adapt their everyday behaviour to make informed and responsible decisions that promote ocean stewardship in a co-creation approach.

The purpose of the workshop was to identify collective actions for ocean literacy and capacity building in the thematic domains of Climate and Ocean, Food from the Ocean and Ensuring a Healthy Ocean, and to co-design a proposal of a joint roadmap that the EU4Ocean Platform members, Youth4Ocean Forum and EU Network of Blue Schools can carry out in the Atlantic and North sea basin. This joint map will support changes in perception, values, attitudes and behaviour towards more sustainable production and consumption practices, management of the ocean and blue economy opportunities.

Target Audience: The workshop was co-designed with the EU4Ocean Platform members in the Atlantic and North Sea basin. A total of 56 participants included stakeholders from marine and other research organisations and academia (30%), science communicators (23%), NGOs (13%), policy makers/implementers (6%), teachers (6%), industry (4%), journalists (2%), students (2%) and other sectors (13%).

Participants learnt the latest updates about the EU4Ocean Coalition and ocean literacy, shared their own work, connected to diverse stakeholders and put forth proposals of joint ocean literacy initiatives to meet European Union’s maritime strategy goals. Additionally, they had opportunities to develop partnerships across existing networks and projects, and articulate lessons learned and best practice… What worked? What didn’t? Why? What were the major needs and gaps in ocean awareness and literacy in the Atlantic and North Sea basin? How to integrate the existing successful initiatives in a joint roadmap for the sea basin? Which new actions to fill the gaps?

Workshop documents

Workshop agenda
Speakers biographies
Workshop summary

What is next?

We are combining resources, capacities and expertise for collective actions!

Feel inspired? Join the EU4Ocean Coalition, find your community, connect with others, take part in advocacy campaigns, and be part of the change! Find out more here or contact us: infoeu4ocean-coalition [dot] eu (info[at]eu4ocean-coalition[dot]eu)

This workshop was coordinated by Nausicaa National Sea Centre with support of Incredible Oceans as part of a series of online workshops organised by the EU4Ocean Coalition for Ocean Literacy on 24-25 September 2020.

An overview of all EU4Ocean workshops is available here.