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Summer School on Ocean Literacy and Collaboration – Sustainable Blue Tourism in the Mediterranean and Black Seas
14 - 18
Summary
The Summer School on Ocean Literacy & Collaboration is a 5-day training, with Lectures, practical training and educational field trips for Master’s and PhD students and early-career ocean professionals (ECOPs) on ocean literacy and collaboration, with a specific focus on sustainable blue tourism in the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
The training is developed under the European Ocean Coalition (EU4Ocean) framework of the European Commission and is organized in the context of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).
The School responds to IOC priorities by strengthening the capacities of students and early-career professionals to advance ocean literacy and sustainable ocean management. In alignment with the IOC Capacity Development Strategy (2023–2030), the course aims to develop students’ practical skills in science communication, stakeholder engagement, collaboration, and project co-design while fostering regional cooperation and peer learning across the Mediterranean and Black Sea. In addition, by empowering participants to apply ocean literacy approaches within their own institutions and communities, the Summer School contributes to Member States' capacity development needs and supports the implementation of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
Location: MuMa Museo del Mare Milazzo (Italy), Messina, Italy
Learning outcomes
At the end of this training, learners should be able to:
- effectively collaborate for the development of ocean-related projects;
- improve communication and storytelling in transdisciplinary and multicultural environments;
- collaborate and advance ocean literacy for sustainable blue tourism in the Mediterranean and Black Seas;
- effectively deal with locally relevant challenges and engage with local institutions and stakeholders;
- become familiar with the objectives and actions of the EU4Ocean Coalition and the Youth4Ocean Forum and scale up their efforts, under the framework of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
Target audience: Early Career Ocean Professionals, master and PhD students with mixed and interdisciplinary backgrounds.
Language: English
Instructors:
- Francesca Santoro (UNESCO-IOC)
- Ottavia Carlon (UNESCO-IOC)
- Carmelo Isgrò (MuMa – Museo del Mare Milazzo)
- Carolyn Berger (MuMa – Museo del Mare Milazzo)
- Angelo Sciacca (Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations – IDDRI)
- Ernesto Rollando (Freelance Consultant)
- Elissa Phillips (Incredible Oceans)
- Virginia Di Marco (Assicurazioni Generali)
- Natasa Vaidianu (Ovidius University of Constanța)
- Giovanni Mangano (Capo Milazzo Marine Protected Area)
- Teresa Romeo (Sicily Marine Centre – Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn)
- Claudio Berti (Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn)
Organizers
UNESCO-IOC, Ocean Literacy team, based at the Venice Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Venice in collaboration with the OceanTeacher Global Academy, the European Commission - DG MARE, MuMa Museo del Mare Milazzo. Municipality of Milazzo.
Course duration and format
Blended course, with a total of 47 hours of training time (11 online studies and 36 of in-person activities).
Certificate and Learner Assessment
- Effectively collaborate for the development of ocean-related projects;
- Improve communication and storytelling in transdisciplinary and multicultural environments;
- Collaborate and advance ocean literacy for sustainable blue tourism in the Mediterranean and Black Seas;
- Effectively deal with locally relevant challenges and engage with local institutions and stakeholders;
- Become familiar with the objectives and actions of the EU4Ocean Coalition and the Youth4Ocean Forum and scale up their efforts, under the framework of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
Course content
- Overview of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, UNESCO-IOC and the Ocean Literacy Unit’s work, the EU4Ocean Coalition and the Youth4Ocean Forum;
- Lectures about: sustainable blue tourism in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions; Marine Protected Areas; science communication and public engagement; stakeholder engagement and participatory approaches; project design, development and monitoring;
- Field activities: guided visit to the Capo Milazzo Marine Protected Area; biodiversity and ecosystem observation; hands-on activities at MuMa – Museo del Mare Milazzo; stakeholder engagement with local practitioners and community representatives;
- Soft skills development through hands-on activities and exercises: empathy and multicultural collaboration; scientific storytelling and public speaking; teamwork, creativity and co-creation; pitching ideas for sustainable blue tourism initiatives.
The certificate will be issued after the completion and full attendance of the activities planned online and onsite, including successfully completing the work group presentation.
Pre-requisites and requirements
B2 level of English.
Application process
The application process was coordinated by the organizers, with 25 available seats. Participants have been selected according to the following criteria:
- Gender balance
- Geographical representation
- Age range: up to 35 years old
- Background: all the sectors are encouraged to apply. We will pay attention to create an interdisciplinary group.
UNESCO is committed to promote equal access principles. Applications from minority or underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged.
Financial support is available to facilitate participation in the Summer School. Five travel grants are awarded to participants who demonstrate financial need in their applications and interviews. Accommodation for the full duration of the Summer School is provided to all participants, together with coffee breaks, lunches, and one social dinner.
Contacts
For any questions, please contact OTGA Secretariat (ioc.training@unesco.org) or Ottavia Carlon (o.carlon@unesco.org) always using the name of the course as e-mail subject.
Cancellation policy
In the event of cancellation of the course by the OTGA or its affiliates, we will provide notification of cancellation at least 7 days prior to the course date. In the event of cancellation by the attendee, we should receive notification of cancellation at least 7 days prior to the course date.
Location:
Event Times (UTC-5):
Starts: 13 Sep 2026 17:00:00Ends: 17 Sep 2026 17:00:00