Our highlights from Mission Ocean & Waters Night 2025

In Italy, the Explora Museum of Children hosted the “Mission Ocean and Waters Night” event where around 70 visitors, participated in various engaging activities in the museum’s green area.

The children explored marine biodiversity through creative activities such as the creation of colorful backgrounds representing marine ecosystems, the composition of marine-themed artworks using movable characters, forming whimsical sea creatures, and interactive games about marine fauna.

The University of Padua provided hands-on scientific experiences where children used microscopes to discover the fascinating world of plankton and other tiny marine organisms. They taught them about clam conservation and sustainable fishing practices through an interactive game, and used a board game to trace a water droplet’s journey from land to sea, teaching about water pollution and conservation.

The highlight of the event was the presentation by students from IC Padre Semeria, showcasing their SHORE Open Call winning MED_SEA4_School project. The students presented a video documenting their SHORE project activities, including beach clean-ups, interviews with local fishermen, and in-class experiments on marine pollution. This presentation inspired the younger attendees and sparked discussions about ocean conservation.

The “Mission Ocean and Waters Night” successfully combined creative activities, scientific exploration, and peer inspiration. It provided an engaging and educational experience for the young participants, fostering interest in marine science and conservation. The event demonstrated how hands-on learning and real-world examples can effectively introduce complex topics like ocean preservation to children.

Poland hosted events in Sopot, Cieszyn, and Dąbrowa Górnicza, with a total of 166 participants. Activities focused on the water cycle and river protection, offering hands-on workshops on natural filtration, acid rain, and how water circulates through the environment. Children and students learned through experiments and interactive demonstrations, helping raise awareness about freshwater ecosystems.

With nearly 700 participants, Romania held one of the largest events. Activities included educational games, painting exhibition interactive, water testing and dolphin monitoring.

The educational games workshop covered several topics, including ocean literacy, plastic pollution, human nature, well-being, industries, and their impact on the climate, environment, and people’s lives.

The primary aim of these games was to furnish participants with opportunities to acquire knowledge regarding the topics they represented. Additionally, they provided a platform for debating these subjects, fostering familiarity with various European concepts and legislation, and promoting an engaging, play-based learning environment.

Then the Romanian Country Hub led a Green Week with two events

• A Sea Paintings Exhibition, with student artworks made from recyclable materials
• Thematic Stations represented by various educational activities such as demonstrations for water testing and circuits, intervention simulations for stranded dolphins, and activities involving educational worksheets.

An exhibition of marine-themed paintings was also organized, featuring artworks created by several educational institutions from Constanța. A total of 385 students and 52 teachers took part in the exhibition, showcasing their creativity and commitment to raising awareness about the marine environment.

The event mixed creativity and science to teach environmental values in a playful way.

In Türkiye, the country hub reached a broad audience through activities in schools, universities, and public spaces. Over 500 people took part, including around 400 visitors at the SHORE information booth during the Navigating Tomorrow’s Oceans event. There, students explored educational materials on ocean literacy, the blue economy, and youth engagement in marine sustainability.

At Yıldız Technical University, students attended an awareness session followed by a Q&A, focused on SHORE’s objectives and the role of young people in ocean protection. Outreach continued in primary schools, where students and teachers participated in interactive seminars on marine ecosystems and sustainability.

Finally, a coastal cleanup along the Marmara Sea brought together students for a hands-on activity raising awareness about marine pollution.