Healthy Ocean – Ocean Champions school project & awards module launched for 2025

The Marine Institute's Explorers Education Programme team recently launched the Healthy Ocean school project module and Ocean Champions Awards 2025 after another successful year of schools working to increase awareness about the importance of our ocean.  

The Explorers outreach officers presented four of the top 2024 winning Ocean Champions Awards at the team workshop, showcasing the children's work and promoting the importance of learning about the ocean. 

Dr Rick Officer, CEO of the Marine Institute, congratulated the Explorers team on their ongoing innovation which ensures that the programme continues to deliver quality initiatives such as the Explorers Healthy Ocean School Projects and Ocean Champions Awards. 

"The success and long-standing delivery of the Programme is rooted in its design. Involving communities at a local level, whilst demonstrating impacts many on a wider scale, very effectively raises awareness about ocean literacy and influences future choices in marine and maritime careers."

The Marine Institute's Explorers Education Programme uses cross-curricular marine content that supports the new Primary School Curriculum Framework, 2023. Using thematic learning, the Explorers Healthy Ocean School Project aims to inspire teachers, their classes, and the school to become active citizens, marine leaders, and ocean champions. 

As CEO of the Marine Institute, and a parent who has personally seen the impact of the Explorers Programme, Dr Officer further said, "The Explorers Programme has become widely acknowledged for its work with students, where the team supports teachers within the classroom to help develop children's key competencies and blue skills.  Among the Explorers resources offered to teachers by the Marine Institute, is the Real Map of Ireland that shows our marine territory and extent of ocean compared to our land area”.

“With the continued development of science, technology, and engineering, there are opportunities on the horizon for significant growth and employment in the marine sector -especially for this generation. The programme helps children to fostering their passion for the marine, which could influence their future careers”. 

The Healthy Ocean School Projects and the Ocean Champion Awards recognise the effort and role the teachers and children have played in becoming active citizens addressing the challenging issues facing our marine environment. The projects can be completed under different categories: Marine Steam School Project, Ocean Literacy Creative School Project, Sustainable Development Goals & The Ocean School Project, or Marine Outdoor School Project.

"The Healthy Ocean School projects also benefit the schools, teachers and children increasing their marine knowledge, and being recognised for their work within the wider community.  Among the 2024 winning school projects, children, teachers, and the wider community raised awareness about protecting basking sharks, community artwork using recycled items from beach clean-ups, social media takeovers generating positive marine messages, and learning about boat building and story-telling with their ocean heroes from the community.

These projects all highlighted the value of communications, creativity and citizen engagement and accentuates the value of the ocean and its impact on us – and the impact we have on the ocean," explained Cushla Dromgool-Regan, Explorers Education Manager. 

The Explorers outreach teams are now open to taking school bookings for schools keen to participate in the 2025 school project and awards. For more information, see the Healthy Ocean School Project for recommendations on completing projects. These can be carried out throughout the 2024-2025 school year. The applications for the Ocean Champions School Project & Awards must be submitted by 4 April 2025.

For further enquiries about other modules, the Explorers Education Programme team delivers, see  Explorers Education Programme Enquiries.

ENDS

For more information, please contact:

Cushla Dromgool-Regan

Explorers Education and Communications Manager

Marine Institute's Explorers Education Programme

Mobile: + 353 (0) 87 9185519

Email: cushla.dromgoolregan@thecamdentrust.org

Website:  www.explorers.ie

Photo caption:  CEO Dr Rick Officer meets with the Explorers Education Programme team at the Marine Institute during their annual meeting and training workshop. Photo: Cushla Dromgool-Regan