The World Maritime University-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute (WMU-GOI) hosted the Ocean Warrior Workshop at Malmö International School (MIS) on 5 June, engaging two preschool classes from the Early Years Programme (ages 5–6) in an interactive learning experience about the importance of protecting the ocean. By combining education, creativity, and action, the Ocean Warrior Workshop sought to strengthen ocean literacy from an early age and inspire the next generation of ocean stewards.
ocean warrior workshop
plastic pollution in the ocean
The workshop opened with a collaborative exercise in which children imagined their “dream ocean” by acting out their favourite marine animals and exploring what a healthy, biodiversity-rich ocean might look like. Through a series of interactive stations, the students learned about different types of plastics, how plastic pollution reaches the ocean, and how currents can transport plastic debris across marine ecosystems around the world.
Using practical demonstrations, the children learned how long common plastic items remain in the environment and how marine wildlife can be affected through entanglement and ingestion. They were introduced to reusable alternatives to single-use products and learned about simple actions they can take to reduce plastic waste in their daily lives.
In his opening remarks, Professor Ronán Long, Director of WMU-GOI, reflected on the Programme’s objectives, global partnerships and highlighted recent developments across its research agenda. He also shared insights from his participation at the Island State Ocean Summit in Tokyo and provided updates on the five case studies under Pillar 1 of the Programme, which examines interactions among ocean governance regimes and institutions and their implications for the future of global ocean governance.
The workshop was organized by Aleke Stöfen-O’Brien, Associate Professor (Research/Ocean Sustainability, Governance & Management), and Ambre Pilet, Project and Communications Assistant at the WMU-GOI.
About the world maritime university
The World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmö, Sweden is established within the framework of the International Maritime Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations. The mission of WMU is to be the world centre of excellence in postgraduate maritime and oceans education, professional training and research, while building global capacity and promoting sustainable development. WMU is an organization by and for the international maritime community and is committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Agenda.
About the wmu-sasakawa global ocean institute
The World Maritime University’s WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute (WMU-GOI) is an independent focal point for the ocean science-policy-law-industry-society interface where policymakers, the scientific community, regulators, industry actors, academics, and representatives of civil society meet to discuss how best to manage and use ocean spaces and their resources in accordance with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Institute was inaugurated in May 2018 and made possible through generous support from The Nippon Foundation of Japan, the Governments of Sweden, Canada, and Germany, as well as the City of Malmö
About the FUTURE OCEAN PROGRAMME
The Future Ocean Programme is funded by The Nippon Foundation and aims to generate knowledge and understanding of how law, political science, and public policy are used to effect change in humanity’s relationship with the ocean to combat the triple planetary crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution