Atlantic & Arctic Lighthouse Weekly Hour with the Irish Ocean Literacy Network (S02E07)

Join us and participate in an engaging webinar with Maria Vittoria Marra scheduled for April 3rd, 2024, 2 – 3 PM CET. Her presentation will focus on the past, present and future of the Irish Ocean Literacy Network (IOLN), one of the longest-running Ocean Literacy Networks across Europe. We will explore the initiatives aimed at achieving an Ocean Literate society across the island of Ireland, which the IOLN has developed since 2016 when it started as an informal organisation. We will learn about the work it is currently carrying out to promote the growth of the Network via implementing the tools and methods developed within PREP4BLUE. Finally, we will see how the IOLN plans to deploy its long-term strategy, which was recently drafted eliciting the feedback of its members and other stakeholders in its new status as a formal social enterprise. This overview will show how the IOLN experience can inspire and guide the establishment of other Ocean Literacy Networks across Europe, and therefore support the citizen engagement objectives of Mission Ocean & Waters.

Register for the Zoom Webinar here.

Or watch in YouTube here.

Programme (CET):

14h00-14h05: Introduction: Jose Moutinho (BlueMissionAA / AIR Centre)

14h05-14h35: The Irish Ocean Literacy Network, Maria Vittoria Marra (Galway Atlantaquaria on behalf of the Irish Ocean Literacy Network )

14h35-15h00: Q&A, moderated by Jose Moutinho (BlueMissionAA / AIR Centre)

Speaker:

Maria Vittoria Marra

Secretariat of the Irish Ocean Literacy Network

Dr Maria Vittoria Marra is the Secretariat of the Irish Ocean Literacy Network (IOLN). Her background is in marine biology and she has a PhD in Zoology. During her time as a student, she was involved in ocean literacy initiatives carried out with WWF Italy, and other national and local environmental organisations. Since she moved to Galway, Ireland in 2013, she has collaborated with citizen science and science communication organisations, such as Seasearch Ireland and Pint of Science respectively, and has been a member of the IOLN since 2020. In 2021, she became Education and Public Engagement Officer at Galway Atlantaquaria, taking on the IOLN’s Secretariat as part of this role when the PREP4BLUE project began. Over the years, Maria Vittoria has shown a natural attitude in bringing individual marine stakeholders together e.g. through the establishment of the Italian Chapter of the Marine Social Sciences Network. She has also been working on a few original initiatives focused on conveying ocean literacy through music, as e.g. the ongoing ‘Galway Bay is Calling’ project funded through the Creative Ireland Programme.

Register for the Zoom Webinar here.

Or watch in YouTube here.