Charter for Blue Education

Charter for Blue Education

This charter is a commitment to collaborating and aligning strategies between European education networks and sustainability initiatives, confirming the engagement to strengthen blue education, and supporting societal transformation in Europe.

Download the Charter for Blue Education 
 

Goals of the Charter for Blue Education

1. Equip learners with knowledge on the role of the ocean in its wider natural, social and cultural context, as well as with skills and tools that can support critical thinking, informed decisions and empowerment.
2. Promote empathy for the ocean amongst learners, to increase awareness of the role of the ocean in society, culture and personal lives, and its connection to other ecosystems.
3. Recognise the links between Blue, Climate and Green education, and where possible measure the impact on how they connect students to nature, promote sustainable behaviours and develop eco-citizenship.
4. Co-develop the best methods for engaging learners and optimizing their education in both formal and informal settings using appropriate pedagogies and tools adapted to regional specificities and cultures.
5. Organise ongoing training and development for education professionals and youth leaders, as well as for trainers themselves, in the principles and practices of blue education.
6. Identify and encourage international and regional cooperation in formal and informal education that addresses ocean sustainability and the conservation of marine ecosystems
7. Exchange, develop, codify and disseminate good practices and research in blue education to help increase the effectiveness and efficiency of practices and programmes.
8. Increase the visibility of blue education with decision-makers and the media to strengthen political, institutional and financial support from the local to the European levels.
9. By engaging with Departments of Education, Members of the Teaching Community and Government Representatives, promote the inclusion of blue education in the national curricula and support the development of a sustainable model for blue education at all levels.
10. Contribute to the evaluation of strategies and policies that support blue education at all levels in respect of the key principles promoted by the present Charter, and seek opportunities to influence/adapt these strategies and policies as appropriate.

The process for co-developing the charter started at the European Maritime Day 2022 in Ravenna (Italy). Representatives from different education networks in Europe and the deputy mayors of Den Helder and Ravenna met with Commissioner @VSinkevicius for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries to sign a declaration that engaged them in the development of the charter for Blue Education in Europe.
 

Signatories

The underlying principles of the Charter for Blue Education are the result of a collective effort from the 10 signatories, initiated by the Eu4Ocean Coalition and its Network of European Blue Schools.

• European Marine Science Educators Association (Belgium)
• The BlueGeneration Project (Mallorca)
• The Office Français pour la Biodiversité (Aires Marine Educatives) (France)
• The Direção-Geral de Política do Mar (DGPM) of the Ministério da Economia e do Mar (Escola Azul) (Portugal)
• The Swedish Institute for the Marine Environment (Sweden)
• The Irish Ocean Literacy Network (Ireland)
• The Oceano Azul Foundation (Portugal)
• The Centre for Sea and Society, University of Gothenburg (Sweden)
• Ciência Viva (Portugal)
• ACTeon (France)
• Camden Education Trust (Ireland)
• Institut de Ciencies del Mar, CSIC (Spain)

The first 10 participating European blue and environmental education initiatives and networks signed the Charter for Blue Education in Lisboa (Portugal) at UN Ocean 2022 on June 29.

At the EMSEA conference in Palma (26 September 2022) a workshop on the Charter for Blue Education was hosted by the EU4Ocean Coalition team, followed by the signing of the Charter by 2 new organisations.
 

Contact for more information

p [dot] strosseracteon-environment [dot] eu (subject: Question%20on%20Charter%20for%20Blue%20Education) (Pierre Strosser)

oceancienciaviva [dot] pt (subject: Question%20on%20Charter%20for%20Blue%20Education) (Ana Noronha)

evy [dot] copejansemsea [dot] eu (subject: Question%20on%20Charter%20for%20Blue%20Education) (Evy Copejans)