We are watery beings
Our mission is to deepen the understanding of humankind’s relationship with the ocean.
Plastic pollution, rising water temperatures, overfishing, sewage dumps and many other factors are impacting the ocean’s ability to thrive as it should. Life below the water is in crisis mode and it’s up to everyone to take action in protecting this extraordinary life-source.
We believe that ocean literacy is the key to accelerating more sustainable practices and informing responsible decision making. And what better time to engage and inspire ocean advocates than childhood.
We depend on our ocean
as much as it depends on us.
The connection we have to the ocean is closer than you might think. 70% of our bodies are made up of water, as is 70% of our planet. We have exactly the same level of salt in our blood as you find in seawater and, not too far back into our evolutionary history, we had gills.
As humans, it’s not only our physicality that links us to the big blue but our health. Every second breath we take comes from the ocean. The sea and its inhabitants provide food, shelter and livelihood for people all around the world. Not to mention its regulation of our weather and climate. It’s even been scientifically proven that being near or in water has a positive effect on our mood and sense of wellbeing.
World Ocean Day for Schools
In 2020 we saw over 4,100 schools registered and over 100,000 online users, both at school and at home, take part. 2021 is going to be even bigger. So grab your snorkel, put on your flippers and dive right in.
Our platform is a free, digital resource tool for educators and parents. It is designed to connect, create, and celebrate the wonder and importance of our ocean to children and young adults. The design of the platform follows these principles:
“The website was packed with different activities and were easily accessible”
“The resources were great, especially the class-based activities”
98% of 2020 participants plan to join next year.
Who we are
We Are Ocean collective emerged in 2016 from a small group of organisations, aligned by shared objectives of increasing Ocean Literacy and effective collaboration. In accelerating Ocean Literacy we will live in a society that understands the importance of the ocean to humankind, can talk about the ocean in a meaningful way and are able to make informed and responsible decisions regarding the ocean and its resources. World Ocean Day for Schools was the first project created by We Are Ocean.
To understand more of the ideas behind World Ocean Day for Schools you can read the We Are Ocean report on ocean literacy here: Accelerating Ocean Literacy in UK Culture.
The founding organisations for World Ocean Day for Schools were Marine Biological Association, Marine Conservation Society, National Marine Aquarium, Thames Estuary Partnership, The Wild Network, WWF UK & Sky Ocean Rescue & Wild Labs.
