NEWS

Venice, 8^th June 2024 – The second day of the first UN conference dedicated to ocean education, the ‘Ocean Literacy World Conference’, opened with the endorsement of the ‘Venice Declaration for Ocean Literacy in Action’.

The Declaration is designed to catalyze a new wave of action to establish Ocean Literacy in the spheres of education, science, policy, economics and culture. By expanding humanity's understanding of the ocean, Ocean Literacy will empower communities to respect the marine environment and preserve ocean cultures around the world. Ultimately, it can become the foundation for wider sustainable development.

This was followed by the presentation of the first SEA BEYOND Ideas Box, the result of a collaboration with the international NGO Bibliothèques Sans Frontières, which aims to facilitate access to education for children and young citizens in vulnerable communities. Designed by Philippe Starck in 2014, the Ideas Box is a mobile multimedia center of over 100 square metres, equipped with internet connection, tablets, laptops and over 250 books and games, as well as hundreds of training materials. To celebrate the Ideas Box’s tenth anniversary, Philippe Starck and Patrick Weil, Founder and President of Bibliothèques Sans Frontières, told the story of its inception in a dedicated conversation. The contents of the media center were curated by UNESCO's ocean literacy team in collaboration with Bibliothèques Sans Frontières and a selection will also be integrated into those already operating in metropolitan France and overseas regions (8 Ideas Boxes), Burundi (4 Ideas Boxes) and Ivory Coast (6 Ideas Boxes). The teams responsible for managing the individual Ideas Boxes will be trained by UNESCO’s ocean literacy team.

After Venice, the SEA BEYOND Ideas Box will be donated to Fondazione Quartieri Spagnoli of Naples, with a program of outings planned in the Metropolitan City of Naples, with the aim to reach even more children. The Ideas Box will stop at Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Fondazione Terzoluogo Cultural Space of Sant’Anna a Capuana and in East Naples area in collaboration with Maestri di Strada Onlus - Centro Polifunzionale Ciro Colonna. It will also visit the islands of Ischia and Procida, in collaboration with the Area Marina Protetta Regno di Nettuno.

In the afternoon, over 80 children and young people from Venice experienced the SEA BEYOND Ideas Box through an educational journey consisting of ocean-themed workshops, led by the SEA BEYONDers and supported by educators from the Italian branch of Bibliothèques Sans Frontières.

Maya Gabeira, Big Wave Surfer and UNESCO Champion for Ocean and Youth, read to young visitors from her upcoming book, “Maya Makes Waves”, due out at the beginning of August and published by Abrams; Titouan Bernicot, Founder and CEO of Coral Gardeners and National Geographic Explorer, showed the children the coral gardens he cultivates in Tahiti; Giovanni Chimienti, Marine Biologist and National Geographic Explorer, educated them on the extraordinary characteristics of deep-sea ecosystems through the power of underwater images;  Valentina Gottlieb, Environmental Advocate and Actress, offered a meditation class  inspired by the movements of yoga and the waves; Carmelo Isgrò, Biologist and Founder of the MuMa Milazzo Sea Museum, entertained the young guests with a game of ‘charades’ inspired by the animals that live in or near the ocean.