Our Curriculum
The curriculum is officially endorsed as a United Nations Ocean Decade Activity under the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
The Blue Citizen Curriculum is an interactive, youth-led learning framework designed to explore ocean governance, participation, and the relationship between society and the ocean. Developed within the Young Citizens' Council for the Ocean, the curriculum was developed, tested, and implemented within less than six months. It demonstrates how transnational groups of young people can collaboratively develop shared perspectives, concepts, and policy-oriented ideas across borders in a relatively short timeframe.
Structured around three interconnected pillars — Knowledge, Culture, and Governance — the curriculum combines scientific understanding, personal reflection, and participatory methods. It guided a group of young Europeans (aged 16-19) through a series of online and in-person workshops, ultimately leading to the development of the Blue Citizen Compass, including:
- a definition of Blue Citizenship
- guiding principles
- policy recommendations
- and ideas for institutional change
Collective Learning
This curriculum represents a first draft.
It is not a finalized teaching manual, but rather a tested framework that captures a specific learning process and its outcomes. Its purpose is to serve as a basis for adaptation, replication, and further development in different contexts.
We share this curriculum openly with the ocean community, educators, and practitioners who are interested in ocean literacy, civic engagement, and participatory governance.
Use, Adapt, Share
We encourage you to:
- use the curriculum in your own educational or workshop settings
- adapt it to your local context
- and build upon it with your own experiences
At the same time, we would greatly appreciate hearing from you:
- How did you use the curriculum?
- What worked well — and what didn't?
- What would you change or expand?
This feedback will help us further develop the curriculum in future iterations.
Let's Collaborate
As Blue Citizen e.V., and as initiators of the Young Citizens' Council for the Ocean, we are happy to:
- share insights from the development and implementation process
- contribute to workshops, discussions, or educational formats
- and support the application of the curriculum in new contexts
If you are interested in working with the curriculum or collaborating with us, feel free to get in touch.
Contact: youthcouncil@beabluecitizen.eu