New European Bauhaus Prizes 2023

Initiative category

Identify the award category for which this initiative is being submitted
Reconnecting with nature

Email user
omaacores@gmail.com

Basic information
Initiative title
AMAr - Learning the Sea of the Azores

Full initiative Title
Learning the Sea of the Azores - Educational Program about the Azores Sea and Marine Biodiversity

Please provide a short, catchy description of your initiative to be used in communication towards the public.
AMAr - Learning the Sea of the Azores is an educational program, completely integrated into the school curricula, including activities and educational resources aimed at all levels of education and adapted to each one of them. Throughout their school career, children and young people gradually learn about the Sea of the Azores, approaching different themes and involving different disciplines, from science to visual arts, passing through mathematics, history and Portuguese.

What was the geographical scope of your intiative?
Regional

Where was your intiative implemented?
Member State(s) and Western Balkans
Portugal

If relevant, insert names of region(s)/municipality(ies) involved
Azores, City of Horta

Does your initiative address mainly urban or rural issues?
It addresses urban-rural linkages

Does your initiative refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations (hard or soft investments)?
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)

Has your initiative benefited from EU programmes and/or funds?
No

Has your initiative won an EU prize with a monetary value awarded?
No

Does your initiative has a minimum level of maturity? The minimum level of maturity is exemplified by stakeholder/ initiative promoter commitment to implement the initiative in practice and a clear methodology /approach.
Yes

On whose behalf are you submitting the application?
As a representative of an organisation
Please provide the contact details for the project promoter (the individual or representative of the organisation authorised to represent the project)
- Name of the organisation(s): OBSERVATÓRIO DO MAR DOS AÇORES / SEA OBSERVATORY OF THE AZORES
  Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation
  First name of representative: CARLA
  Last name of representative: DÂMASO
  Gender: Female
  Nationality: Portugal
  Function: BOARD PRESIDENT
  Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: FÁBRICA DA BALEIA DE PORTO PIM, MONTE DA GUIA
  Town: HORTA
  Postal code: 9900-011
  Country: Portugal
  Direct Tel: +351 968 856 308
  E-mail: omaacores@gmail.com
  Website: http://oma.pt
Social Media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)
- URL: https://www.instagram.com/fabricadabaleia/
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): #fabricadabaleia #observatoriodomardosacores #whalingmuseum #oceanliteracy #educacaoambiental #mardosacores #azores
- URL: https://www.facebook.com/oma.acores
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): #fabricadabaleia #observatoriodomardosacores #whalingmuseum #oceanliteracy #educacaoambiental #mardosacores #azores
In case my initiative is selected as a finalist of the NEB Prizes 2023, I agree to share the name (individual and/or organisation’s), email address, website and social media accounts indicated above with other NEB Prizes finalists. I also agree to publish the name (individual and/or organisation’s), website and social media accounts indicated above next to the public description of my initiative in the channels of the European Commission.
Yes

How did you hear about the New European Bauhaus Prizes?
Press

Description of the initiative
Please provide a summary of your initiative
Learning the Sea of Azores (AMAr) (AMAR = to love/ MAR = sea) is an educational program developed by the Sea Observatory of the Azores (OMA), completely integrated in Azores Region school curricula, which includes activities and educational resources aimed at all levels of education and adapted to each one of them.
With this programme, OMA intends to provide students at different levels of education with knowledge about the Azorean sea and the possibility of working with different materials, stimulating motor and cognitive skills, taking into account the programs of each academic year and the different subjects taught, from the sciences to the visual arts, passing through mathematics, history and Portuguese.
Its construction takes into account the UNESCO Principles of Ocean Literacy and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). AMAr has a multidisciplinary approach to teaching and learning about the Ocean, treating both the scientific and the cultural and historical perspectives, addressing six different themes, with an activity for each age group. The activities are adapted to the Curriculum Programs and Objectives based on the documents, from the General Directorate of Education, referring to the different levels of education and aim to promote a social model in harmony with Nature and its resources. Activities are currently carried out in person, but upon request and in order to overcome geographic barriers, they can be carried out remotely. Resources are also available for the development of autonomous work, developed in response to the confinement caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic, when the heading #EuMergulhoEmCasa/#IDiveAtHome/#JePlongeChezMoi/#YoBuceoEnCasa appeared, where activities were adapted to the home context and translated into three more languages.
To preserve it is necessary to know and this program is an indispensable tool for the formation of informed and active citizens in the defense and preservation of the marine ecosystems of the Azores!

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with 5 key words.
Ocean Literacy

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Ocean

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Azores

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Non-Formal and Informal Education

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Environmental Education

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of sustainability and how these have been/will be met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
Over the years, OMA has adopted a policy of not using single-use items, whether in the organization of events, in its internal functioning and in carrying out marine environmental education activities.
In all activities and resources developed, sustainability is underlying and there are some where sustainability is the main focus.
One of the themes addressed at AMAr is Marine Litter and Ocean Conservation and we are currently developing and implementing the #Deslixa-te (UNwaste yourself) Program with some of the Schools and Classes with which we work regularly.
#Deslixa-te(UNwaste yourself) consists of a set of activities aimed at reducing the production of waste at the producer level, with a special focus on younger people and schools. There are several activities, from the reuse of materials that would otherwise become waste to the production of cosmetics and other personal hygiene items.
Its main objectives are: to raise awareness of the problem of waste production and management; encourage the application of the 7 R's (rethink, refuse, reduce, repair, reintegrate, recycle and reuse) with a focus on reuse and sustainable and more ecological alternatives.

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people (through design, positive emotions and cultural benefits) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
The main objectives of AMAr in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for students are:
- Awaken curiosity and capture attention through visual communication, which is always eye-catching and age-appropriate;
- Use design as a vehicle to better communicate the message to be conveyed;
- Create a language and a graphic image that allows us to identify and differentiate our educational resources;
- To stimulate creation and the artistic part among the students.

Design is an integral and indispensable part, which plays a crucial role in the educational resources development process. In addition to the aesthetic part, all designs, like the other contents, are created taking into account the age group for which they are intended, making the contents even more interesting and eye-catching.
OMA has a team specialized in the field of Design and Communication, which includes not only a designer, but also an illustrator and a science communicator, who support and are mutually supported by the team of Marine Biologists and Educators.

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of inclusion (ranging from accessibility and affordability for all to inclusive governing systems, design for all principles or new societal models) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
Although the AMAr program was developed based on the curriculum and learning of Regular Education, we later felt the need to adapt it, in order to achieve the following accessibility objectives:
- adapt a minimum number of activities, making them accessible to the public with Special Educational Needs;
- work with the public with Special Educational Needs in order to test and improve the activities;
- listen to the various entities that work with people with Special Education Needs, in order to respond to some of the gaps identified.
Thus, it was possible to have a specific Offer for these publics, diversified and adapted to their needs, which is still open and under construction. We would also like to be able to reach other types of audiences, such as the blind and the deaf, for example, but on the island there are no such groups and that is why it is a project that is being postponed.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the initiative and civil society have been/will be involved in the initiative and what has been/will be the impact of this involvement on the initiative
To preserve it is necessary to know and this program is an indispensable tool for the formation of informed and active citizens in the defense and preservation of the marine ecosystems of the Azores, thus contributing to a sustainable development and to the Blue Economy.

AMAr's target audience is the school community, from all Teaching Levels, including Special Education. Knowing and understanding the influence of the Ocean on us and our influence on the Ocean is crucial for us to know how to communicate, act and decide in a responsible and informed way about the Ocean. This is the essence of Ocean Literacy and this is the great benefit of this iniciative.

Please explain how different stakeholders at various levels (local, regional, national, European) were engaged in the design and implementation of the initiative.
Whenever possible and whenever justified, the different local and regional stakeholders from the different areas of activity of AMAr were invited to participate, both in the content creation phase and in the implementation phase.
Examples of these groups of stakeholders are the teaching community, fishermen, scientists, among others.

Please explain which disciplines and/ or knowledge fields were reflected in the design and implementation of your initiative. Please explain how representatives of these different fields interacted with each other, and what the added value of this process was
During the AMAr design and implementation, the following SDGs were or are adressed:
• 03 - Health and well-being
• 04 - Quality education
• 06 - Clean water and sanitation
• 07 - Clean and affordable energy
• 11 - Sustainable cities and communities
• 12 - Responsible consumption and production
• 13 - Action against global climate change
• 14 - Life in the water
• 17 - Partnerships and means of implementation

In addition, it also addresses the following topics:
• Society's awareness of Humanity's impact on the Ocean, and the Ocean's impact on Humanity;
• Encouraging the adoption of sustainability practices;
• Promotion of respect for marine life;
• Dissemination and promotion of interest in matters of the Sea.

Please highlight the innovative character of the initiative, when compared to mainstream actions in the field of the initiative
AMAr distinguishes and differentiates itself from other Ocean Literacy Promotion projects and programs currently in operation in Portugal, essentially for the following reasons:
1 . Despite being a non-formal education program, all activities and resources are included in the school curricula of the various subjects, functioning as an alternative or complement to the work of educators/teachers and not as an extra-curricular activity.
2 . It covers a wide range of disciplines, not limited to the areas of natural sciences or citizenship, also covering all levels of education, including special education.

Please describe which elements of your initiative could be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries and contexts. This may involve, for example, aspects of the methodology, technology, processes, products, learnings, etc.
AMAr is currently fully implemented on the island of Faial, but its replicability on the other islands is only dependent on qualified human resources that can guide the different activities within the school community.
In addition, and taking into account the great similarities between the different archipelagos of Macaronesia, it is possible to extend the range to the entire region, with minimal adaptations to the contents.

Please describe the methodology or approach used in your initiative.
The content development process for AMAr is as follows:
1 - Study and analysis of the curricular programs and educational guidelines of the General Directorate of Education, in order to define where the different themes to be addressed may fit;
2 - Selection of syllabus contents;
3 - Clear definition of the basic concept to be conveyed;
4 - Exchange of ideas on the best way to convey the basic concept;
5 - Transformation of the idea or ideas into an activity, always taking into account the methodology and language appropriate to the teaching cycle;
6 - Design Development;
7 - Testing the resource, in an environment as similar as possible to the context in which it will be applied.

In the end, we have a program that:
1. is based on the SDGs and Ocean Literacy Principles;
2. It matches the programs of each academic year and of different subjects, in order to support the teacher while teaching the subject and not just a different class or just applied to Citizenship;
3. it is specific for each school year, so that students do not repeat activities and that their knowledge about the Azorean sea grows with them, remaining static for a few years, which allows for more interesting and appealing activities;
4. all activities can be carried out in person, at a distance or independently developed by the teacher or educator.

Please explain what kind of global challenges the initiative addresses by providing local solutions
The main Global Challenges that are addressed and for which local solutions are provided are:
- Marine Litter
- Ocean Conservation

For these two themes, specific activities were developed whose theoretical part provides a global framework for these problems, with the scale decreasing to local examples, where not only the problems are addressed, but also, and above all, the solutions that are within reach. each of us for the resolution or mitigation of the problem.

Please detail the scope of progress in the implementation of the initiative. This can include already demonstrated results/outputs related to the chosen Prizes category, and the already achieved benefits from the initiative for direct and indirect beneficiaries. This can also include a development plan of the initiative, with a particular attention to the steps envisaged in the year following the application, and including envisaged results and benefits from the initiative
Despite the fact that a formal evaluation of the results of OMA's work in terms of Marine Environmental Education has never been carried out, it is possible for us, empirically, and due to the fact that we follow our audiences over the years, to state that our work has been increase ocean literacy in the population of Faial and the islands where we are also developing our work, albeit more occasionally.
Based on the school years 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 (corresponding to the full implementation of AMAr in Faial) the results are very positive:
. in 2021 we carried out 267 activities/actions with the school public, which correspond to the involvement of 5203 students;
. in 2022 we carried out 321 activities/actions with the school public, which correspond to the involvement of 5718 students.

Please provide documents that demonstrate the maturity level of the initiative and commitment to implement the initiative in practice (e.g.: evaluation report, final or mid-term initiative report, certification, publications, building permit, grant agreement, letter of support, partnership agreement, etc.)
Both
PDF
Web link
- https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Cj4nJuD8w_UdYwD-Mxns_JVKglropKGN?usp=sharing
- https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wMPph83X8QbsEqmElya2R4onRqnWhZfG?usp=sharing
If relevant, please describe how your initiative contributes to developing new competences, especially in the context of the European competence framework on sustainability.
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Please attach at least 6 high resolution images or visual representations of your initiative to your application.
If you would like to upload additional documentation, please upload or write below.
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By submitting your application you confirm that you are the copyright owner of the images provided and that they can be used by the European Commission for the purposes of promoting the New European Bauhaus on all platforms (websites, print, social media and other).
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that you are not in in one or more of the exclusion situations foreseen under Article 136 of the Financial Regulation.
Yes

By submitting this application, I declare that I am not related to the entities subject to EU restricted measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and subject to Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)1, and entities covered by Commission Guidelines No 2013/C 205/05), which are not eligible to participate in any capacity.
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that you assume sole liability in the event of a claim relating to the activities carried out in the framework of the contest, that the proposed initiative has not been proposed for the New European Bauhaus Prizes in any other category or strand and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.
Yes

By submitting your application, you guarantee that you are the author or have the rights to proceed with the application and to authorise the use of the initiative and that you have obtained any necessary consents, licenses or assignments from third parties and included copyright notices when necessary
Yes

By submitting your application, you understand that all the applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be shared for the purposes of the selection processes, and notably published on the secured platform prizes.new-european-bauhaus.eu and for the purposes of the promotion of these on the New European Bauhaus website and/or other European Commission communication channels. In this sense, the applications would be widely available. Applicants should ensure that they present their initiatives, initiative, in such a way that they could be shared without giving rise to intellectual property related concerns. If your submission is selected as one of the finalists, it will additionally be shared for the purpose of the public vote that will take place. The European Union is granted a licence to use and share your application with the general public and the official external experts for the purposes of the selection process, including the voting. The European Union has the right to use the images and visual materials and the description provided in the application for communication purposes related to the contest and beyond. Rights granted comprise the right to store, reproduce, display, publish and communicate or distribute copies in electronic or digital format, including, but not only, through the internet. Unless you have disclosed your name, the European Commission has no obligation to share your name when using or disseminating your contribution to the public. The European Union cannot be held responsible in case any submitted initiative, initiative is found to infringe third party’s rights. The European Union shall be neither responsible for the use that third parties may do of the applications or related content.
Yes

By submitting your application, you acknowledge that you read and understand that the ‘Guide to Applicants’ of the NEB Prizes 2023, available online in the website of the NEB Prizes 2023, is an integral part of this application form and that it must therefore be observed when completing and submitting your application.
Yes