The Ocean Connections project took place against a background of increasing urgency with respect to issues of climate change and completes as the COP 26 Climate Change Conference is due to take place. Young people are increasingly aware of, and concerned about climate change and other issues of environmental sustainability, yet developing their understanding of the fragile balance of the Earth’s systems remains an ongoing challenge. The project drew on expertise from a range of partners in the UK, Denmark and Spain. HEI institutions led the project activity in each country, with overall coordination by the University of Exeter, UK, who also brought expertise in creativity and environmental educational research. VIA College, Denmark brought expertise in educational research into AR and VR. CESGA’s expertise was in the design and development of digital learning tools for education. In each country, the expertise of teachers and aquarium educators in partner schools and aquaria ensured that materials developed in partnership and tested in schools were appropriate and useable by teachers and informal educators. The objectives of the project were to:•Understand the position of Ocean Literacy, creativity pedagogies and digital technology in the formal and informal curriculum in the partner countries;•Summarise the international research literacy with respect to teaching for Ocean Literacy, creative pedagogies and education using AR/VR digital technologies;•Synthesise this state of the art knowledge to develop a set of educative principles to guide teaching for Ocean Literacy using creative, digital pedagogies•Design projects for pupils to learn about Ocean Literacy, drawing on these educative principles•Evaluate these projects to understand their impact on pupils’ knowledge and attitudes and the way in which the educative principles were enacted•Draw on the educative principles and the project outcomes to develop a toolkit for teachers to use creative and digital pedagogies together to enable young people’s Ocean learning .Materials developed were piloted in schools: three pilot projects with pupils aged 9-11, and three with pupils aged 11-14. Overall, 4 aquarium educators (1 UK, 1 Denmark, 2 Spain), 10 teachers (4UK, 3 Denmark, and 3 Spain), and 235 pupils participated directly in the pilot projects (135 pupils aged 9-11; of whom 120 were from the UK and 15 from Denmark, and 117 age 11-14, of whom 101 were from Spain and 16 from Denmark).A State of the Art Review was produced, including an analysis of curricula for pupils aged 7-11 and 11-14 in each partner country related to Ocean Literacy to search for points of commonality and difference in national approaches, an exploration of where and how creative pedagogies and AR/VR digital technologies were used in practice in the partner countries, and an international literature review of research into the three project ‘strands. A unique VR tool was created for use by teachers and pupils. Using 360 images and video from aquaria and the Ocean, using this tool pupils are able to interact with, communicate, and create learning materials for themselves with respect to the Ocean. The Ocean Connections Educative Principles and the new VR tool were used by project partners in each country to design and implement six ‘pilot projects’, three for pupils aged 7-11 (Ocean Adaptations, Plastic Pollution, and Nursing Grounds for Fish) and three for pupils aged 11-14 (Biodiversity, Shoal of Fish and Accessing the Ocean). Each project was evaluated using a mixed methods, case study approach, to produce a case study report on each pilot and an overall synthesis of the findings with respect to key research questions regarding the impact on pupils’ knowledge of and attitudes towards the ocean, pupils’ and educators’ perspectives about the innovative creative and digital approaches, and the way in which the educative principles manifested in the pilot projects. Alongside these, an innovative ‘diffractive analysis’ of the data was undertaken, drawing on arts-based methods and new materialist theory to develop new insights and questions into the nature of learning in these projects. Findings show that many pupils found the use of VR with creative pedagogies engaging and impactful, but that there were some barriers in using the tool due to lack of sufficient bandwidth and, in some schools, lack of experience. Care, responsibility and activism emerged as important themes, with some key areas of connection between creative and digital pedagogies that could be usefully built upon in the design of learning experiences. The educative principles, VR tool, and pilot projects were used to create a toolkit for teachers which can be found on the Ocean Connections website. The project was disseminated via seven stakeholder and dissemination events, newspaper articles, social media, and conference presentations.

The cities of Plymouth and Brest have been twinned successfully for over 50 years with a strong background of successful joint initiatives.This project aimed to strengthen understanding of the importance of the maritime culture in the lives of our young people and what their responsibilities will be, growing up as Ocean Citizens of the Future. Activities have directly addressed targets set out in the Europe 2020 strategy to promote youth, employability of young people, lifelong learning, the countering of social exclusion and the promotion of active citizenship.The theme “Ocean Citizens of the Future, has been selected because Plymouth and Brest are both experts in the maritime field through their economical and research activities. The project focused on the integration of this environment into the social and economic well-being of both cities. It was targetting the awareness of the participants to qualified jobs and recruitment opportunities within the maritime sector. This fits in well with current major developments to reinvigorate the regions’ blue economy and advanced manufacturing sectors.The partnership has been coordinated by the two local authorities, working closely with eight schools, including six primary schools and two colleges. It covered a range of social and demographic profiles from socially deprived to more economically-advantaged mainly children from 8 to 10 and youngs from 16 to 18. The schools and education authorities have worked together with other key organisations with international reach, including Brest'Aim -Océanopolis in Brest and the UK’s National Maritime Aquarium (NMA) in Plymouth. Both have major roles in research and educational provision and have played a strategic part in project support, multiplier events and dissemination of results. Other more local groups and small scale organisations with entrepreneurial approaches likely to appeal to young people have also been involved.The partners, by the shared and collaborative activities, have seen their competences raise, particularly through meeting the needs of young people. Therefore their support capacities towards the pupils have led those ones to develop the skills needed to succeed in the environment of today’s Europe.Ecological, economic and social challenges for the regions have been explored in ways designed to generate real impact and meaning for students, teachers and the wider communities. Ocean Citizens of the Future has encouraged the young people involved to question and interact on ecological and environmental issues, within a European environment, by joint international activities. Proactive citizens, they have developed their initiative and increased their language skills.Project results include:-Productions linked to the call for projects Young Reporters of Arts, Sciences and Environnement coordinated by Océanopolis.-Exhibition and Compendium of Good Practices. Developed as a continuing resource throughout the project, to include pedagogical approaches and successful professional practice.-Works realised on Enhancing the Cities. Comparison of maritime worlds of Brest and Plymouth and discovery of the cities throught pedestrian rallys.-Panel of Maritime Jobs through interviews of professionnals and visits. -Experimentation of the approach of Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics coordinated by the NMA.This work has also provided significant opportunities for the professional development of teachers engaged in creating and delivering the programme. They have gained experience from different pedagogical approaches and created bonds with their pupils and other colleagues by working together in a different environment. The partners have acquired a better practice of networking and have strengthened international collaboration.The mixing of social classes and cultural origins of this project, as well as fighting prejudice, have enhanced bonds between the pupils, the teachers and other professionals. A consciousness of the european citizenship and of an european culture has thus been raised.