Irish Ocean Conversations: Co-Creating an Ocean-Literate Society
The Irish Government’s Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth Strategy sets out a roadmap for integrated actions across policy, governance and business to enable our marine potential to be realised (Inter–Departmental Marine Coordination Group, 2012). Specifically, Action 29 aims to embed knowledge and consider options for the inclusion of marine studies in the secondary school curriculum. Research from Sea Change—a Horizon 2020 project—recognises that environmental behaviour change rarely occurs as a result of simply providing information, but through initiatives generated at community/local levels. In Sea Change, Irish Ocean Conversations were held with stakeholder groups involved in teaching, education, outreach, curriculum, media, regulation and policy. These conversations went significantly beyond asking people for their individual opinions. Instead, it gave groups a collective voice in identifying barriers and designing options to influence teaching ocean literacy to 12–19 year olds.