About Us.
The Ocean needs everyone. It does not discriminate and welcomes people from all backgrounds, abilities, places, and walks of life. All it really needs is passionate individuals who care. Here at Thalassophile Project, we believe everybody should have access to the tools, knowledge and resources to explore and protect the Ocean. This is our way of empowering people to become ocean stewards and wield the greatest human superpower in the name of our Ocean — love. Join us in our mission for a more accessible Ocean!
We identify a gap in the available educational material in this field tailored to a d/Deaf and/or visually impaired audience, a lack of awareness of adult education institutions that large groups of citizens are unable to gain access to information and a corresponding lack of competence in adult educators in barrier free blue education: Our seas and oceans feed us, regulate our climate, and generate most of the oxygen we breathe, and as their importance has been increasingly recognised in recent years by people who strive to understand climate change and our part in it. Only by making information accessible to the widest number of people will we achieve a critical mass of citizens ready and able to change their behaviours for the better.
The Thalassophile Project is a partnership of organisations from the fields of accessible pedagogy and marine conservation and research. The core objective of Thalassophile Project is to make an introduction to marine science, marine conservation and so-called ‘Blue Education’ in general, accessible to all European citizens, including those who are d/Deaf and/or visually impaired.
Our Aims.
To improve accessibility of quality marine education.
To encourage all adults to make changes to sustain and improve marine environments.
And to network organisations and experts in the fields of accessible pedagogy and marine education, so that they understand and can comply with each other’s needs.
How we’ll achieve them.
Agree theoretical and practical frameworks to make marine science and conservation material more accessible to more adult learners.
Create four original Thalassophile Project episodes in line with this framework, and build networks of potential users to test accessibility.
Curate existing educational material in line with this framework, and make inspiring practice accessible to scientific outreach, adult education and conservation educators, via an online database searchable according to audience.
Consolidate this learning in four factsheets for adult educators
Disseminate to cross-sector stakeholders, and reinforce the importance of climate literacy for behavioural change.