The third presentation session of the projects funded by the Blue Growth Programme of EEA Grants 2014-2021, organized by the Directorate General for Maritime Policy, took place on October 22nd, in digital format, and was the first entirely dedicated to projects in the area of Ocean literacy.
The opening session was attended by the Director-General for Maritime Policy, Helena Vieira, who reinforced the importance of this subject, referring that this was one of the most competitive calls with 46 applications requesting more than 1.2 M EUR. “We have projects from north to south and islands of Portugal, demonstrating that this is a hot topic for everyone.” – mentioned.
Maria João Lois, Head Deputy of National Focal Point, pointed out the relevance of the Blue Growth Programme in the EEA Grants Financial Mechanism, and congratulated the 10 projects funded and the partners involved, looking forward to results that will be delivered in this important area of Ocean literacy.
The promoters of the financed projects took the floor, reveling the diverse strategies used, but all with the same goal - to raise awareness about the major issues facing the Ocean and change behaviours. Promoting students' connection to the sea, with beach cleaning campaigns or other activities to discover the wonders of the Ocean, organizing teacher training courses or lectures in the thematic of Ocean Literacy, producing digital resources as fairy tales or infographic films, implementing artistic nature initiatives, or promoting nautical sports were some examples that the 150 participants in the session had the opportunity to discover.
The session ended with a message from the Ambassador of Norway, Tove Bruvik Westberg, who declared that “scientific knowledge will never be enough in itself, it must be valued and passed on, in short, we must increase Ocean literacy and the projects presented aimed at that”, also highlighting the creativity, seriousness and enthusiasm of the projects presented.
The final message belonged to the Minister of the Sea, Ricardo Serrão Santos, who referred the National Ocean Strategy, approved this year, “whose vision is to promote a healthy ocean to foster sustainable blue development, the welfare of the Portuguese, and affirm Portugal as a leader in ocean governance supported by on scientific knowledge.” Concluding that “aligned with this Strategy we need an informed society and that is why we hear more and more about ocean literacy and its importance.”
Watch here the video of the session.