My Ocean Challenge / Team Malizia

The My Ocean Challenge programme is a scientifically based educational programme based on Ocean Literacy, targeting youth from 8-14 years in schools, sailing clubs and other organizations. In our programme we combine sailing, science and education. Our programme aims to act as a catalyst to help restore Ocean health and has been built for educators. This immersive school learning programme gives children the opportunity to discover the excitement of sailing through following world races on board the IMOCA 60 Malizia-Seaexplorer, understand how Ocean health is threatened and how carbon dioxide (CO2) is damaging our Ocean. But also, how they can be part of the solution. We bring Ocean-related topics to schools and raise awareness of Ocean-related issues, climate change and climate change mitigation. The programme is currently available in 12 languages, with representation of all main languages of the EU and thereby has a strong international reach. The programme is non-commercial (completely funded) and freely downloadable from the MOC website. We are organized in a gGmbH.On board of the Malizia-Seaexplorer we have a mobile laboratory, which measures Ocean data such as CO2 on all routes of the sailing yacht, even in the most remote areas. All data is proved to our scientific partners. It is checked and then submitted to the SOCAT database, which stores a giant data set on the CO2 content of the surfaces of the Ocean. Researchers from around the world can access these data and scientists use them for statements in the IPCC reports. As part of the IMOCA racing boat class, Team Malizia has a partnership with IOC-Unesco and the UNFCCC. MOC aims at raising awareness about Ocean health and related climate change issues and solutions. The main focus is on the role of CO2 in the Ocean and in climate change as this is till date underrepresented in educational curriculums. We have already reached 75,000 children worldwide. Knowledge transfer takes place through both distribution of educational material as well as direct interaction with the target group through speeches, workshops and call-for-action projects. We also launched an educational YouTube series. MOC would be of added value to the EU4Ocean Platform because it fills the gap about the role of CO2 in Ocean literacy and is scientifically based.