We dream of a school that brings the ocean into classrooms.
European Blue Schools Network. Gdynia, 2022.
In 2021, the Gdynia Aquarium,
together with the Environmental Department of the City of Gdynia,
inspired 11 educational institutions
to go beyond the traditional education framework
and participate in a program outlined by the European Commission
The European Blue Schools Network is an initiative of the European Commission,
one of the elements of the EU4Ocean Coalition,
which aims to build marine awareness among European citizens.
The Coordinator of the Network is the European Marine Educators Association,
with which the Gdynia Aquarium has been cooperating for years.
To become a member of the network, schools must carry out
a project on marine themes within their walls and meet the criteria set by the European Commission,
including establishing cooperation with a local partner,
providing an interdisciplinary approach to the topic,
as well as disseminating the results of their work.
To explore personal relationships with the local marine environment,
children and youth from Gdynia chose topics related to the Baltic Sea that are important to them.
Hello, hello...
I wanted to talk about... the Baltic Sea.
I know that there are a lot of animals in the Baltic Sea, it's their home.
Seals and porpoises also live in the Baltic Sea.
You can find them near Gdańsk.
When I go to the beach, I feel very relaxed.
I like the Baltic because you can cool down there in the summer and there are a lot of fish.
Quite a high intensity of fishing often results in lost fishing gear
such as ghost nets.
My best find was amber,
which looked like there were few other ambers inside of it.
Last school year, we joined the project: Building the Blue Schools Network.
I think that maritime education is very important in primary education.
It's important to us because we are residents of Gdynia and we live by the Baltic Sea.
The sea is part of our daily lives.
The Baltic Sea reminds me of something... like a great path throughout the whole world.
Together we can achieve more!
Building the European Blue Schools Network is an initiative of the European Commission,
supported by the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, developed by the partners of the EU4Ocean Coalition.