EU4Ocean Challenge of the Year 2025-Be a Blue Citizen: Embracing Democracy for Thriving Oceans and Rivers

The well being of our oceans and rivers is intimately tied to the energy of our democratic methods and the stage of civic engagement we deliver to environmental stewardship. That’s the highly effective message behind the EU4Ocean Challenge of the Year 2025, which calls on youth, educators, civil society, and establishments throughout Europe to “Be a Blue Citizen.”

Each yr, the EU4Ocean Coalition identifies a key theme to impress ocean literacy efforts throughout the continent. For 2025, the highlight is on the very important intersection of citizenship and ocean sustainability. It’s not simply a problem — it’s a transformative alternative to form a new relationship between society and aquatic ecosystems.

What Does It Mean to Be a Blue Citizen?

While there’s no single definition, a Blue Citizen is anybody who:

• Informed about the significance of aquatic ecosystems (rivers, lakes, the ocean…) and the want for their safety and sustainable use;
• Empowered to train their proper to take part in the transformation of society’s relationship with these ecosystems, together with by exercising their rights inside the democratic system;
• Aware of their duties and accountability to make knowledgeable choices and selections contributing to the sustainability of aquatic ecosystems.

This yr’s problem builds on the groundwork laid in 2024, increasing the scope of blue citizenship to attach extra deeply with democratic values resembling justice, inclusivity, and civic accountability.

Democracy and the Blue Planet: A Natural Alliance

Why join democracy and ocean literacy? Because democracy gives the instruments — voting, collective motion, advocacy, and public dialogue — to push for insurance policies that shield and restore aquatic ecosystems. Blue residents can affect change by:

• Demanding transparency and accountability from decision-makers;

• Advocating for science-based laws;

• Supporting native and worldwide cooperation for local weather resilience and biodiversity safety;

• Developing or collaborating in initiatives that help a sustainable blue financial system.

The upcoming United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) 3, co-hosted by France and Costa Rica in Nice (June 9–13, 2025), underscores the urgency of citizen participation. EU4Ocean will align its efforts with this international occasion to raise citizen voices and construct robust institutional engagement.

Ocean Literacy: Turning Knowledge into Action

Ocean literacy — the understanding of the ocean’s impression on us and our impression on the ocean — is the basis of blue citizenship. But it should transcend training to activate change.

In 2025, EU4Ocean goals to combine ocean literacy extra totally into:

• Public establishments (colleges, libraries, museums, aquariums);

• Digital instruments (apps, civic tech platforms);

• Civic areas and engagement boards at native, nationwide, and EU ranges;

• Municipal governance, the place cities can play a pivotal function in river and ocean well being.

Key questions the Coalition seeks to handle embrace:

• How can ocean literacy evolve to strengthen its citizenship dimension – giving extra consideration to rights and duties of residents, and to ideas of justice, equity and inclusivity?
• What function for ocean literacy (how and for whom) to strengthen the consideration given to the ocean in democratic establishments and processes?
• How can ocean literacy help new and modern kinds of civic engagement in any respect ranges (native to the EU, cross-country to inter-sectoral) so these may be efficient in addressing ocean challenges?
• Which roles and duties for native democracy – particularly cities – in addressing river and ocean challenges?

Call for Collective Action: Funding for Grassroots Impact

Each yr, the EU4Ocean Coalition selects and funds a restricted quantity of tasks that contribute to the annual Challenge theme. In 2025, this chance is concentrated on tasks that embrace democracy to help thriving aquatic ecosystems.

Eligibility

The Call for Collective Action is open to members of the EU4Ocean platform, Youth4Ocean Forum, and the EU community of Blue Schools. Individuals and organizations outdoors these teams can even take part in the event that they be a part of as companions in a proposal.

Key eligibility necessities embrace:

• Proposals should immediately relate to the 2025 Challenge theme;

• Projects should have measurable impression on the floor;

• Implementation interval: most six months, between July and December 2025;

• Applications should be written in English and embrace a technical and monetary proposal.

What Should a Proposal Include?

An entire submission should embrace:

• An application type;

• A six-page PDF undertaking presentation outlining innovation, collective motion, floor impression, and replication potential;

• An in depth Excel sheet of projected bills.

Deadline for submission: May 16, 2025, at 18:00 CET

Funding Details

• Projects might request as much as €20,000 in monetary help;

• Five tasks are anticipated to be chosen for funding in 2025;

• Co-financing is required for formidable proposals;

• Eligible prices embrace workers time, journey, communications, occasions, app or instrument growth, and extra.

Selection Criteria

Proposals shall be evaluated based mostly on 4 ideas:

1. Scientific, social, and collective studying — by co-creation amongst various companions;

2. Sustainability and replicability — guaranteeing long-term and scalable impression;

3. Innovation — in methodology, instruments, audience, or content material;

4. Engagement and impression — significantly amongst non-ocean sectors and underrepresented teams.

Operational feasibility, monetary coherence, timeline planning, and visibility potential can even be assessed.

Selection outcomes shall be revealed in early July 2025 and shared through the EU4Ocean web site and social media.

Project Implementation

Successful candidates will signal an settlement with ACTeon, the managing consortium of the EU4Ocean Coalition. The funding shall be disbursed as follows:

Implementation consists of:

• A one-page undertaking abstract for the EU4Ocean web site;

• Three coordination conferences with ACTeon (kick-off, mid-term, closing);

• Regular progress updates and problem decision.

By December 2025, undertaking coordinators should submit:

• An in depth report on actions, challenges, and outcomes;

• A one-page impression abstract for publication on the EU4Ocean platform.

Take Part in the Challenge

Whether you’re a pupil, trainer, activist, artist, or policymaker, there are a number of methods to contribute:

Join the dialog — Attend each in-person and on-line occasions to change concepts and experiences
Propose an initiative — Apply by May 16 for a Call for Collective Action you probably have a undertaking linking democracy and ocean engagement
Read extra on our advocacy marketing campaign #MakeEUBlue — Explore the advocacy marketing campaign to see how city communities are mobilizing for blue sustainability
Become part of the EU4Ocean group — Connect with like-minded changemakers by its Youth4Ocean Forum, Network of European Blue Schools, and different coalitions

Your Voice Matters — Be a Blue Citizen!

Now greater than ever, the future of our rivers and oceans will depend on knowledgeable, energetic residents. Through the EU4Ocean Challenge 2025, the Coalition is empowering Europeans to channel their information and civic rights into impactful motion. This is your alternative to form the future — not simply as an ocean advocate, however as a true blue citizen.

Learn extra and be a part of the problem at EU4Ocean and official EU4Ocean Challenge 2025 webpage.

For extra alternatives, please go to Opportunities For Youth.

Related