The " First Wave - Surfing in Curricular Activities" project provides initiation to the sports modality of surfing, as well as training sessions about the Ocean in environmental and safety aspects, involving about 500 first cycle students from Torres Vedras coastal schools.
Through lessons and awareness-raising activities, the project is operational since 2019, on various beaches that have the necessary conditions for the initiation of surfing.
Local
Portugal
Torres Vedras
Mainly rural
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
Yes
EMFF : European Maritime and Fisheries Fund
MAR-04.03.01-FEAMP-0092T20210311173027_2021-03-11
No
Yes
As an individual
First name: Laura Maria Last name: Jesus Rodrigues Gender: Female Nationality: Portugal Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Avenida 5 de outubro Town: Torres Vedras Postal code: 2560-270 Torres Vedras Country: Portugal Direct Tel:+351 261 320 758 E-mail:educacao@cm-tvedras.pt Website:http://www.cm-tvedras.pt
The " First Wave - Surfing in Curricular Activities" project provides initiation to the sports modality of surfing, as well as training sessions about the Ocean in environmental and safety aspects, involving about 1000 first cycle students from Torres Vedras coastal schools.
The project aims to: Increase the levels of safety in the enjoyment of the sea by the younger population, through educational work on prevention and awareness-raising about the dangers of the sea; Disseminate concepts of marine ecology, environmental education and citizenship; Increase the levels of knowledge of the sea among the local population, giving priority to children as the target group for this action; Increase the number of people practising water sports.
Through lessons and awareness-raising activities, the project has been running since 2019 on various beaches in the County (Praia da Foz, Praia Azul, Santa Cruz and Santa Rita), which have the right conditions for surf initiation.
The Project, which takes place in two-year long editions, engages each participating class in twelve moments led by certified instructors from the Portuguese Surfing Federation. The activities developed with the groups are divided into two types: awareness-raising actions on the importance of improving knowledge of the ocean (in terms of safety as a swimmer), ocean literacy and the preservation of biodiversity; and, finally, a surf lesson.
Education for Sustainable Development
Ocean Literacy
Surfing - Water Sport
Safety at bathing
Local Heritage Enhancement
The First Wave is a project focused on promoting behavioural change in children (the main beneficiaries of the project), with the intention of making them the main agents that can guarantee a more sustainable and environmentally friendly society, transmitting knowledge in the area of Ocean Literacy to the school community through actions that seek to promote critical thinking and that favour direct contact with the object of study - the Sea and the Ocean.
The awareness of the importance of the protection of the Ocean is one of the bases of this project, allowing participants to contact with an ecosystem that belongs to their territory, raising their awareness and alerting them to be more conscious of their surroundings.
The Torres Vedras coastline, about 20 km long, is particularly rich in geo-ecological caracteristics, presenting an interesting coastal profile, with rocky and sandy beaches, cliffs and two important dune systems. The coastal area and has diversified characteristics, including rugged cliffs interrupted by two estuary areas of reasonable expression in the regional framework corresponding to the rivers Alcabrichel and Sizandro and by an urban area associated with tourism demand (Santa Cruz).
The coastline is covered by two sites of the Natura 2000 Network (Sintra/Cascais site and Peniche/Santa Cruz site), which cover a total of 1093 ha of the territory.
All these local natural features give local and distinct relevance to the project. The promotion of sustainable and conservation behaviours towards one of the greatest values of the territory, the Coast and the Ocean, are central to the project and are made operational through dynamic on-location awareness actions. All participants involved are able to recognize that individual and collective actions are needed to protect and enhance the Ocean and its ecosystems (particularly those that exist in the territory of Torres Vedras).
As a result of its geographical location, its economic activity, tourism, sport and recreational activity, the municipality of Torres Vedras, with 20 km of coastline, has a strong connection to the sea. The beaches are frequented by hundreds of thousands of people throughout the year, having witnessed in the last few years a transformation in the use of the coastline that has forced the competent authorities to respond in a more effective way to current demands, ensuring training and awareness for the importance of preserving this territory.
The strategic focus of this Municipality on the valorisation of the coastline, both environmentally and in the integration of cultural values, as well as in the promotion of a sense of belonging, has been recognised at a national and international level by various entities, such as the award of the "Quality Coast" destination, twelve Blue Flags, eight Accessible Beaches and the Green Destinations Award.
From an early age, children and young people of Torres Vedras, connect the sea and its surroundings to moments of leisure and family interaction. This project strengthens this connection, establishing a bridge between bathing security (made possible through Surf, where children learn to safely enjoy the sea) and environmental awareness, giving the opportunity to all participants to experience a water sport (which not everyone has access to) and also allowing them to get to know the ocean better, learning to respect it and not to be afraid of it.
In addition to actions exclusively aimed at the school public, the Municipality has also invested in major sea sports events, able to enhance nationally and internationally the promotion of the coastline as a cultural and tourist destination of excellence. Emblematic events such as Ocean Spirit and the World Qualifying Series bring to the territory, not only the sports component, but also promotes in the community a sense of local appreciation and increase their sense of belonging.
The assurance that all students, regardless of their physical and cognitive conditions, can fully and completely enjoy the activities is one of the principles ensured by this project.
With regard to accessibility, the project benefits from the conditions created by the Torres Vedras municipality in the construction and adaptation of physical structures that allows several accessible beaches to be located within its territory. These beaches consist of award-winning bathing areas that meet accessibility standards, namely with regard to citizens with reduced mobility, such as pedestrian access, access to the bathing area, walkway in the sand, among others. In addition to the physical structures existing on the beaches, the organized activities benefit from accessibility equipment, Surf is a sport that has an integrating component, namely through its Adapted Surfing, which is within the reach of anyone, regardless of physical limitations. Also in this variant of Surfing, the municipality of Torres Vedras has been highlighted with national and international initiatives, bringing to the territory several reference events, in partnership with SURFaddict - Portuguese Association of Adapted Surfing (https://www.surfadaptado.pt/).
To ensure inclusion, the activities (both physical and environmental education) are adapted to the groups involved so that all can achieve the defined objectives. An example of this is the integration of students covered by inclusive education and who are inserted in the groups of children participating in the project.
Over the 3 years that the project has been implemented, there have been situations where it was necessary to ensure accessibility, and adapt activities to ensure the inclusion of some of the participants.
The education of more active citizens, more participative and more aware of the environmental issues that affect them, is one of the main objectives of the First Wave project. The implementation of the project directly affects and will directly affect the community where its participants are based. The approximately 1000 students are inserted in a geographical area of about 22,000 inhabitants. The project will help to educate the public not only in the sport of surf, but also so that the children covered, who go to the beaches in the area, get to know the sea better, learning to respect it and not to fear it.
Believing that children are privileged agents of communication for parents and families, the project transmits knowledge, values and encourages behaviours that are intended to be a reflection of a whole community.
All partners involved in the project are elements or entities that are committed to the community embraced by the project. The local organizations (City Council and Parish Councils), the educational institutions, a local Association (Sealand Association), and several surf schools established in the municipality, work for a common goal which is to build a more conscious and participative society, one that is resilient to climate change, dynamic (and in terms of physical activity) and which sees the Ocean as a safe element of extreme environmental and economical importance.
The First Wave Project was a beneficiary of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), and is the result of a local partnership, involving the Torres Vedras Municipality (coordinator), educational institutions, the three parishes of the municipality's coastline, the Sealand Santa Cruz Association and surf schools.
The municipality of Torres Vedras is responsible for the logistical organization of the project, namely the dissemination, comunication and coordenation, ensuring the articulation between all the involved partners.
The Councils of the 3 coastal Parishes (A-dos-Cunhados and Maceira; Silveira; and São Pedro da Cadeira) are responsible for helping the Municipality in the logistical support of the project (preparation and maintenance of infrastructures to support the activities), including providing suitable spaces for the realization of the sessions when the meteorological conditions do not allow them to take place on the beach.
The 14 1st grade schools in these Parishes participate, with an average number of 500 students (annual average).
Other key partner in the development of the project is the Sealand Association, based in Santa Cruz, which develops its activity with the aim of promoting the territory, through the valorization of natural resources and the promotion of sports activities (Surf, Bodyboard, Skimboard, Bodysurf, Races, Walks, Skateboard, Longboard) and environmental activities (organized waste pick-ups, awareness-raising actions). This partner has the role of involving all the operators of the municipality's surfing schools, promoting Ocean Literacy activities and coordinating the practical training sessions.
This consortium was born with the common goal of training young people to be more aware and participative in society and the environment in which they live, through the promotion and practice of a sea sport (surfing) and awareness raising on Ocean literacy and the biodiversity of coastal environments.
By inviting to the project partners with extensive experience in the issues addressed, First Wave has gained the necessary skills for the achieved success.
In the sports component, the chosen partner was the Sealand Association, a non-profit association which aims at the local development of the Santa Cruz beach, and which has extensive experience in the promotion of surfing and other maritime sports. This partner brings to the project practical knowledge of the operationalisation of physical activity and its dynamisation with children or young people. As a partner Sealand is responsible for involving the surf schools in the region.
The scientific area of the project is ensured by the long years of experience of the Municipality in promoting Education for Sustainable Development. In the area of science, the Educational Service I Want to Be a Scientist (http://www.cm-tvedras.pt/artigos/detalhes/quero-ser-cientista/) plans and streamlines activities to stimulate children's curiosity about the world around them, being the main instrument of the Municipality for the promotion of science in the educational community. In environmental education, the Municipality has also worked to become a national reference, whose Centre for Environmental Education (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU7lNK61lds) is the main example of citizen education work, through a process that seeks to awaken people to the importance of a change in behaviour/attitudes regarding environmental issues.
In the pedagogical area, the most relevant role is played by the School Clusters. The teachers of the participating groups articulated the curricular contents with the topics addressed by the project sessions in order to establish a multidisciplinary approach and motivate the students. This new approach led to the adoption of new working methodologies with the children, which contributed to the success of the project.
Given the difficulties inherent to the implementation of a complex project like this in terms of transport, security conditions, technical means and human resources, there is no similar project in the country. This project goes far beyond the occasional experimentation of one or more groups of students, reaching a regularity and a volume of students that make it innovative at national level.
There may be several projects that promote physical activity using a marine sport, what differentiates the First Wave from other projects is its component of awareness-raising for Ocean Literacy and the ability to involve local partners, with the aim of raising awareness and training future citizens who value their territory, have sustainable behaviours and recognise the importance and potential of marine sports.
Another aspect that makes the project more democratic is the fact that it allows participants to access a sport that otherwise they would hardly have the means to initiate.
First Wave is an innovative project in national terms, putting the students at the centre of the activity, in the belief that the first agents of protection and sustainable development of the coastal area of Torres Vedras should be the inhabitants themselves. It is defended that it is through the formation of children and young people and the increase of marine knowledge, that it will be possible to guarantee in the future a population with knowledge of the economic and tourist potentialities that the sea offers, as well as the absolute necessity of its conservation.
This project is not only about sports, surfing is one of the pillars that, together with the awareness and training of children and young people, view the Ocean as a high value of the territory. The implementation of these practices are part of a strategy that tends to train new athletes, surfers, and consequently active agents that protect the Sea.
Part of the project's success lies in the simplicity of its implementation, the methodology applied and the partnerships established. This project has a high transferability rate, first because it addresses a pertinent and current issue (threats to the Ocean) and the importance of sports practice. There are many territories, National and International, that shares natural characteristics and challenges similar to Torres Vedras and that can replicate this project.
Among the aspects that can be replicated, the following stand out:
- Promotion of a physical activity directed children and young people that has meaning for the region where it takes place, in this case Surfing;
- The promotion of Ocean Literacy as a key theme for being a pertinent, current theme and with extreme relevance for the geographic and cultural context of the population;
- The establishment of local partnerships, with partners who share common concerns and interests in the valorisation of the territory;
- Clear communication with all those involved, especially the carrying out of information actions with students and parents of each school, where the objectives of the project, the functioning structure and the safety procedures are explained in order to transmit confidence among all those involved.
- The production of pedagogical materials and didactic resources adapted to specific locations, such as, for example, the production of exploration guides for the intertidal zone;
- The promotion of pedagogical practices differentiated and experimental.
The implementation of the project was developed in 8 key stages:
1. Meetings between partners to introduce the project - After approval, a meeting is held with all partners to present the project and clearly define each partner's role;
2. Meetings with classroom teachers to present the project and determine work strategies - this project covers a total of 500 students from 14 different schools, in addition to presenting the project the need arose to make adaptations according to the characteristics of each school/class group;
3. Meetings with Parents to present the project - considering the pioneering nature of this action, information sessions were held with the students' parents, in each school, where the objectives to be achieved with this project, the timetable and the methodology were explained;
4. Development of sports activities - organisation of surfing lessons, always preceded by explanations on safe behaviour at sea.
5. Production of pedagogical materials - inventory of the living beings of the coast, and production of pedagogical guides on Ocean Literacy and marine biodiversity.
6. Dynamization of environmental awareness actions - sessions in the intertidal zone (during low tide), with all the students developing the Ocean Literacy themes.
7. Preparation of the evaluation report - collect all the data concerning the implementation of the project for the elaboration of the report.
8. Presentation of the final report to all the partners involved.
First Wave, although promoting a very close connection with the territory and the local identity, focuses on issues that are global preoccupations.
The promotion of physical activity from the early years of life, the connection to nature, the importance of ocean literacy and the incentive to the adoption of more sustainable behaviours are relevant issues in Torres Vedras, but also in other places on the planet. The project puts into practice several Local, National and International priorities and aspirations that seek to build a more sustainable society.
In accordance with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the project directly addresses the following objectives:
Goal 4 - Provide Quality Education- streamlining all activities for all is one of the key principles for the project.
Goal 10 - Reduce Inequality - the project promotes social inclusion and guarantees access for all participants regardless of gender, disability, origin or economic condition. Compliance with this principle guarantees equal opportunities during the course of the project.
Goal 13 - Organize Climate Action - the sedimentation of the contents and values transmitted throughout the project will enable its participants to be better prepared to adapt to or mitigate anthropogenic climate change.
Goal 14 - Develop Life Below Water - The promotion of Ocean literacy and the initiation to a maritime sport, work developed by Primeira Onda fully instrumentalizes this goal.
Also in terms of the Green Pact, the project embraces the need to reduce CO2 emissions by ensuring travel through public transport and soft mobility and contributes to the preservation of natural habitats through awareness-raising actions on the importance of conservation of dune and intertidal ecosystems. The project shows the impacts of Climate Change on the coastal environment of the municipality of Torres Vedras, promoting adaptation and mitigation behaviours in the daily routines of the students involved.
The Project will continue due to the positive results obtained and because of the expectations created with its implementation. Started in 2019, the First Wave, runs for school years and after being interrupted by the Pandemic situation, has returned in 2021 at full capacity.
The results show that the initial objectives were achieved, it was possible to feel in all involved the satisfaction, the enthusiasm, the greater availability to learn on the part of the students.
One of the results that stands out is the increased availability of teachers to adopt new methodologies, such as taking the class outside, and the stimulation of activities with a greater multidisciplinary component.
The involvement of the local community is highlighted through the increased frequency of bathing areas outside the bathing season (summer). A problem of seasonality in the use of the coast was identified, and the project responded to this gap by promoting the practice of a sport that is practiced regularly throughout the year, regardless of the season. At the present time, it is the kids who challenge their parents to visit the places where the actions took place, as a result of the curiosity sparked by the project trainers, thereby increasing the values learned about Ocean literacy and the importance of territory valorisation. The project's success in the community has led to its continuity and expansion being demanded by the entire educational community in the county, including schools that are geographically far from the coastal area.
Multidisciplinarity is present throughout the project. There is a concern on the part of the trainers and the teachers of the group to articulate the curricular contents of the different subjects during the dynamisation of the sessions. It starts with the children's motor skills and goes through the theorical contents (Mathematics, Portuguese, Nature Sciences, History, Geography, Citizenship).
