Blue Deal

Description

Climate change and environmental protection is often associated, at least in the perspective of citizens, with a green change which could be interpreted into planting trees, halting excessive deforestation, organizing cleanups on the streets, using reusable material, recycling and so on. How often do we link climate change and environmental protection with a blue change, a change which is supposed to preserve the “lungs of the Earth” (UN, 2019), our deep blue ocean? In fact, with 72% of Earth’s surface to be covered in saltwater and more than 50% of the oxygen we breathe on a daily basis to be produced by the ocean (National Geographic, 2021), no one can deny the significance of the ocean for human existence. Despite the well documented dependency of humans on the ocean, its health is constantly at a risk zone considering the tremendous pressure it receives from factors related to plastic waste, overfishing, pollution, climate change and irresponsible human activities (World Economic Forum, 2021).

While multiple activities in the political, business and scientific sphere have been announced in the context of the European Green Deal, the role of young people in shaping environmental strategies for the protection of the ocean is limited. Engaging young people and youth workers in actions to promote the protection of the ocean is of paramount importance in order to achieve decent levels of ocean literacy from younger ages and ensure the health of the ocean. The necessity of providing channels to young people to participate in shaping the future of Europe has recently been expressed by the president of the European Commission, Von der Leyen, who aptly said during the SOTEU 2021 that the EU should support young people in bringing their ideas into actions and be empowered to contribute towards reshaping the future of the continent. Therefore, should we aim at reshaping our approach towards environmental protection of the ocean, young people must be involved in this process.

The project has received funding from the European Commission for the period 2023 - 2025 in the framework of a Small Scale Partnership in Youth with the participation of the following partners: Active Zone Outdoor (Coordinator; Cyprus), MareNostrum (Romania).

Objectives

The project has set out the following objectives:

To share and exchange good practices on feasible actions to protect the ocean from climate change and pollution;
To provide a space to youth workers and young people, with emphasis given on the inclusion of youth with fewer opportunities, to co-design with relevant policy makers and implement actions and initiatives towards the environmental protection of the ocean;
To enhance ocean literacy among young people through raising awareness about pollution in the marine environment and how marine pollution affects human health, in order to facilitate the development of a more sustainable future for the ocean and the planet and thus become actors of change;
To highlight the importance of the ocean for the enhancement of mental health and well being of young people through the promotion of greener and environmentally friendly sea and beach sports and activities;
To facilitate youth participation and empowerment in decision making processes to tackle national and European environmental challenges;
To establish a network of coastal-based organizations connecting the Mediterranean and the Black Sea with a view to foster synergies for future projects addressing common threats and challenges towards an environmentally healthier ocean.

Activities

For the successful implementation of the project, a series of activities will take place:

*A research study on good practices on ocean protection at an EU level;
A series of collaboratively dialogues between young people and policy makers in order to co-design actions towards a more sustainable and cleaner ocean;
A Booklet of Good Practices for a Bluer Ocean comprising SMART actions for the environmental protection of the ocean and translated in the partners’ languages;
Identification and implementation of green sea and beach sports and activities as a vehicle to foster ocean literacy among young people;
Implementation of initiatives included in the Booklet of Good Practices for a Bluer Ocean at a local level
A training course activity for young people and youth workers