On July 5th, the ProBleu team from ICM-CSIC hosted a comprehensive training session for teachers in Barcelona, focusing on Blue Schools. Over 50 educators actively participated in this enriching event. Throughout the day, we delved into theoretical insights and practical applications, exploring inspiring resources and projects related to water and ocean literacy.
Eli Bonfill, ProBleu’s technical coordinator, began by outlining the global, European, Spanish, and Catalan networks of Blue Schools. He also introduced various European projects such as SHORE and BlueLightS and detailed the procedure for becoming a Blue School.
Carine Simon, Vice Director of Marine Scientific Culture, presented the diverse educational resources available through ICM, including programs like “Mar a Fons” and exhibitions such as “Dones: motor de la recerca marina” or “BioMARató”. Carine is also involved in the BlueLightS project.
Christian Esteva from Som Escoles Blaves and also BlueLightS project, shared their initiatives and progress, highlighting specific examples from Mallorca.
Jaume Piera, principal researcher of the EMBIMOS group at ICM-CSIC and coordinator of the ProBleu project, introduced citizen science and showcased the MINKA platform. This citizen observatory is a powerful tool for biodiversity and freshwater ecosystem projects.
Núria Machuca and Aida Girona presented a practical case study on BioPLatgesMet and discussed service learning opportunities available to educational centres in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area.
The training session concluded with hands-on activities where teachers engaged in a replicable classroom exercise using the MINKA platform. Additionally, participants presented posters showcasing existing projects from various Catalan schools, including two ProBleu-funded initiatives: Centro Folgado with their seahorse refuge project and Escola La Muntanyeta with their freshwater quality analysis project.
Funded by the European Union