From October to November, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO gathered youth with the only requirement: an endless love for the ocean and the will to act and bring about change. Within the frame of the Ocean Decade and as part of the Decennio del Mare, the "Young Blue Minds" project seeks to build a network of young "blue minds" aged between 18 and 35 and offer opportunities for collaboration by giving them visibility and mentorship.
Young Blue Minds is a project carried out by the IOC-UNESCO project office at the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, based in Venice (Italy), in collaboration with marine biologist Marta Musso, a winner of the "Possea" project of the Donna di Mare 2022 award, organised within the frame of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).
By mingling activities in the ocean and establishing contact with local communities, Young Blue Minds crafts a network to enhance the local ecosystem and strengthen the bonds among citizens, inspiring a new Ocean Generation. Young generations have a big part to play in growing awareness and driving action to protect the ocean; they should collaborate and support one another to achieve the objectives of the Ocean Decade and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Workshops, talks, bio-walks but also educational and cultural activities, and presentations of local and national projects have been organised throughout Italy in a series of days dedicated to the ocean and its creatures. Each stop of Young Blue Minds was an opportunity for 15 people under the age of 35 - from the most diverse backgrounds, yet united by a love for the ocean -, to network knowledge, skills and creativity and design solutions that accelerate ocean protection, in the presence of young biologists, chemists, physicists, engineers, artists, artisans, visual artists, entrepreneurs, start-uppers, photographers and sportsmen.
We have chosen to make Young Blue Minds itinerant indeed to give local talents the opportunity to emerge and make their contribution to safeguarding our Blue Planet.
Young Blue Minds - First stop in Lerici, Italy
The project made its first stop on 22 October in Lerici, a coastal town in Liguria, Italy. Due to bad weather and rough seas, planned data collection activities at sea were replaced by interactive workshops: OutBE on citizen science and Marta Musso’s Possea on plankton sampling and analysis. Participants learnt the importance of data collection, observation of biodiversity and marine environment parameters, and how to include these actions within the business model of their project or in support of third-party projects.
The round table discussed some exciting projects: "Sea Sentinels" project by the CEO Kel12 with a visit to the boat; the ceramic work of BuonVento Pottery and the illustrator Davide Besana; Blueat, “Alien is good, alien is food” project on the use of Alien Species in the Mediterranean Sea for human consumption; PesCo on promoting awareness of responsible and sustainable fishing. The day concluded with the screening National Geographic documentary "The Hidden Treasure of the Tremiti Islands"on the black corals of the Mediterranean Sea by marine biologist Giovanni Chimienti.
Young Blue Minds - Second stop in Venice, Italy
The project stopped on 26 November in Venice, Italy. “Atelier Aperti”, a tour in collaboration with Venezia da Vivere, recounted the 1,600 years of Venice through the hands of the craftsmen. Palazzo Zorzi hosted the presentation of the book "As whales in a bottle” by the author Giacomo Talignani, journalist of La Repubblica, who narrated a journey into the climate crisis among lost animals, trapped men and unheard messages.
During the round table, discussions were centred on young start-ups and projects and how to support or redirect their development. These included "Sea of Change", a start-up on blue carbon, “Venice Calls”, an association to solve Venice’s problems of and the needs of its residents; “Il Sale di Penelope”, a podcast on fishing for women; and, MSP MED, a European co-funded project towards the operational implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning in our common Mediterranean Sea.
During the Possea Laboratory with Marta Musso, participants gained an awareness of the importance of biodiversity and ocean preservation. The day concluded with a theatrical show titled "History/Story of the Sea" by the historian Alessandro Vanoli.