New European Bauhaus Prizes 2023

Initiative category

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

Email user
luisa.barros@colabatlantic.com

Basic information
Initiative title
Maçarico

Full initiative Title
Maçarico - CoLAB +ATLANTIC's Ocean Literacy Programme

Please provide a short, catchy description of your initiative to be used in communication towards the public.
Maçarico is a +ATLANTIC ocean literacy program that aims to promote knowledge, awareness and actions for the preservation of the ocean in a transversal and holistic way. Focused on children and young people, it includes a program of various activities that offers them a playful way of learning about the origin of the ocean and its importance for the planet, reinforcing knowledge through scientific experiments. The goal is to reach as many children and young people as possible, so that we can all

What was the geographical scope of your intiative?
National

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

If relevant, insert names of region(s)/municipality(ies) involved
So far, Maçarico has been implemented in several cities in Portugal, including Gaia, Aveiro, Nazaré, Lisbon, Aljezur and Ponta Delgada. However, it is possible for the CoLAB +ATLANTIC Ocean Literacy Program to be implemented throughout the Portuguese territory.

Does your initiative address mainly urban or rural issues?
Mainly urban

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): CoLAB +ATLANTIC
  Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation
  First name of representative: Luisa
  Last name of representative: Barros
  Gender: Female
  Nationality: Portugal
  Function: Marine Scientist
  Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Instituto Politécnico de Leiria Escola Superior de Turismo e Tecnologia do Mar Rua do Conhecimento nº4
  Town: Peniche
  Postal code: 2520-614
  Country: Portugal
  Direct Tel: +351 919 506 847
  E-mail: luisa.barros@colabatlantic.com
  Website: https://colabatlantic.com/
Social Media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)
- URL: https://www.linkedin.com/company/colabatlantic
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): #CoLAB #PlusAtlantic
- URL: https://twitter.com/colabatlantic
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): #CoLAB #PlusAtlantic
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?
New European Bauhaus or European Commission websites

Description of the initiative
Please provide a summary of your initiative
Maçarico is a +ATLANTIC ocean literacy program that aims to promote knowledge, awareness, and actions for the preservation of the ocean in a transversal and holistic way. Focused on children and young people, it includes a program of various activities that offers them a playful way of learning about the origin of the ocean and its importance for the planet, reinforcing knowledge through scientific experiments. The goal is to reach as many children and young people as possible so that we can all protect the planet where we live.
Examples of activities included in the programme:
• Discovering the ocean at school with the mini sea museum pedagogical game about marine biodiversity
• Coastal monitoring
• Online short course “Becoming a Guardian of the Ocean”

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
Education

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

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

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

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.
Ocean literacy means understanding the ocean's influence on us and our influence on the ocean. This understanding is essential if we are to protect the ocean and the planet we live on. The ocean covers most of our planet, regulates our weather and climate, absorbs large amounts of carbon dioxide, provides most of our oxygen, and even feeds much of the human population. However, for decades, it has been impacted by our pollution, habitat degradation and overfishing. Improving the public's understanding of the importance of the ocean is key to resolving these complex and devastating issues.
Maçarico, as an Ocean Literacy program focused on children and young people, with practical activities that stimulate learning in a playful and more appealing way, contributes to a better and greater knowledge of the Ocean from an early age. The fact that its target audience is particularly the younger age groups, who will be future adults to integrate the labor market and perform functions in our society, stimulates awareness from an early age about the importance of the Ocean for the Planet, and consequently about of the impact that the Ocean has on Man and that, in turn, Man has on the Ocean. The coastal monitoring activity is an example of an activity that promotes the previously mentioned knowledge and awareness, in which young people have the opportunity to learn in practice the characteristics of their coast, monitoring some beaches with regard to meteorological and oceanographic conditions, and also monitoring pollution on the beach, namely by plastics. During activities, special attention is paid to habits that impact marine life, not only in terms of pollution, but also the sustainable consumption of fish.

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.
This program stands out for its practical approach, based on scientific experiments, which encourage young people to learn. In particular, the activity “Unveiling the Ocean at School with the Mini-Museum of the Sea”, for students from the 1st cycle onwards, consists of a research workshop where students explore the Mini-Museum of the Sea, which has examples of marine life and a collection of sands. from various locations around the world, using research tools such as magnifying glasses, microscopes, and magnetic pens. The content about the Ocean is designed to stimulate children's curiosity, scientific and investigative exploration, building knowledge in a practical, participatory, playful, and fun way. The “Coastal Monitoring” activity is also innovative, as students have the opportunity to learn, in practice, the characteristics of its coast, monitoring some beaches in terms of weather, tides, waves, sand and water quality. Water. The analysis of data obtained in the field allows students to compare socio-environmental parameters, seeking to understand the main characteristics of the ecosystem, the present environmental impacts, and the challenges they pose to the management of the coastal zone.

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.
The implementation of the Maçarico Program, includes carrying out specific activities with Schools, both Public and Private Education. The pilot year of this program was held in Public Shcools at no charge, where the various activities at Maçarico involved more than 1500 students from schools across the country, offering them a playful and science-based way to learn about the origin of the ocean and its importance for the planet, reinforcing knowledge through scientific experiments.
In 2022, the activities and events of the Maçarico Program reached a total of around 2000 participants, including students from national schools (from 5 to 17 years old), teachers of Basic and Secondary Education, scientists from areas related to the Ocean, and communities.
In all, almost 4000 people were impacted by the activities and initiatives of CoLAB +ATLANTIC, with the main emphasis on children, adolescents, and young people in a school context. In general, the activities contributed to the education of younger people and promoted knowledge about the Ocean.

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
The main beneficiaries of this program are students in the 1st cycle, 2nd cycle, 3rd cycle and secondary students. Benefits include greater and better knowledge about the Ocean and awareness of your actions and their impact. Maçarico thus acts as a channel for transferring knowledge to society, placing young people and educators as the main end users to promote the implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goal 14, jointly leading to a better future and more aware generations.

Please explain how different stakeholders at various levels (local, regional, national, European) were engaged in the design and implementation of the initiative.
In the case of Public Schools, activities are carried out in particular with schools included in the Escola Azul Network – the educational program of the Ministry of Economy and the Sea. A protocol was signed with PSA - Portugal Surf Academy, in order to carry out activities with their students. Moreover, informal partnerships were created with several entities, namely: Nazaré City Council ( Education Center), Ocean Puzzle (Nazaré), Ponta do Sal Interpretation Center (Cascais), Paço de Arcos Group of Schools and Save the Waves Coalition (Azores).

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
The content of the activities (Coastal Monitoring, Mini Museum of the Sea, Biodiversity Game) and the way in which they are implemented, promote the learning of the target audience (mostly children and young people) on themes related to the Ocean, which include, for example, marine biodiversity, the origin of the tides, physico-chemical characteristics of sea water, and marine pollution. These are contents that are generally not covered in depth in the public education curriculum, so Maçarico allows, in a way, to complement these syllabus contents. Additionally, Maçarico allows students to have direct contact with the marine environment, in particular the beaches, which usually does not happen in a school environment. Taking into account what has been said, the program contributes to a better understanding of the Ocean and its importance. These activities were designed and implemented by marine scientists such as marine biologists and oceanographers.

Please highlight the innovative character of the initiative, when compared to mainstream actions in the field of the initiative
This program stands out for its practical approach, based on scientific experiments, which encourage young people to learn. In particular, the activity “Unveiling the Ocean at School with the Mini-Museum of the Sea”, for students from the 1st cycle onwards, consists of a research workshop where students explore the Mini-Museum of the Sea, which has examples of marine life and a collection of sands. from various locations around the world, using research tools such as magnifying glasses, microscopes and magnetic pens. The content about the Ocean is designed to stimulate children's curiosity, scientific and investigative exploration, building knowledge in a practical, participatory, playful and fun way. The “Coastal Monitoring” activity is also innovative, as students have the opportunity to learn, in practice, the characteristics of its coast, monitoring some beaches in terms of weather, tides, waves, sand and water quality. Water. The analysis of data obtained in the field allows students to compare socio-environmental parameters, seeking to understand the main characteristics of the ecosystem, the present environmental impacts and the challenges they pose to the management of the coastal zone.

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.
So far, Maçarico has been implemented in several cities in Portugal, including Gaia, Aveiro, Nazaré, Lisbon, Aljezur and Ponta Delgada. However, it is possible for the CoLAB +ATLANTIC Ocean Literacy Program to be implemented throughout any territory. The methods used in this project are easily scalable outside of Portugal and in other languages, as has already happened at Aljezur International School – a private bilingual school.

Please describe the methodology or approach used in your initiative.
Focused on children and young people, it includes a program of various activities that offers them a playful way to learn about the origin of the ocean and its importance for the planet, reinforcing knowledge through scientific experiments. In all activities, the content is worked on in order to stimulate the children's scientific curiosity, building knowledge in a practical, participatory, transdisciplinary, and fun way. Maçarico thus promotes the development of new skills integrated into the practical application of curriculum content, mainly related to the disciplines of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, Geography, Citizenship and Visual Education.

Please explain what kind of global challenges the initiative addresses by providing local solutions
The development of an ESG Blue Economy aims to establish a profitable Economy of the Sea, with high environmental and social performance, contributing to the transition to a global economy with low carbon emissions, resilient and efficient in the use of resources, acting in a positive way in combating climate change. The Maçarico program's main objective is to reinforce knowledge related to the Ocean in order to train younger generations and thus contribute heavily to a sustainable Blue Economy. Maçarico develops dynamic learning activities focused on children and adolescents, creating ocean defenders from an early age, thus leading to better and more aware future generations.

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
Even though the initiative began only two years ago, almost 4000 people were impacted by the activities and initiatives of CoLAB +ATLANTIC, with the main emphasis on children, adolescents and young people in a school context. In general, the activities contributed to the education of younger people and promoted knowledge about the Ocean. This program's implementation is foreseen until the end of 2026 and at the end of the project's execution, it is intended to at least maintain, but preferably increase, the number of children and young people reached annually. Taking Maçarico to schools in the countryside of Portugal is also an expected result, in order to reach schools whose districts do not have a direct connection to the sea.
It is also intended to create educational content, this time aimed at the general public, where the main themes of the Ocean are addressed.

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.)
Web link
Web link
- https://colabatlantic.com/service/Ma%C3%A7arico
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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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