About the Sea Change Project
Sea Change is an EU Horizon 2020 (H2020) funded project that aims to establish a fundamental "sea change" in how European citizens view their relationship with the sea. The project empowers citizens as Ocean Literate citizens to take direct and sustainable action towards a healthy ocean, healthy communities, and ultimately a healthy planet.
By utilizing the concept of Ocean Literacy, Sea Change creates a deeper understanding amongst European citizens of how their health depends on the health of our seas and oceans. The project harnesses behavioural and social change methodologies to bring about real, tangible actions and lasting shifts in citizen engagement with marine environments.
Building upon the latest social research on citizen and stakeholder attitudes, perceptions, and values, the Sea Change partnership designs and implements mobilisation activities focused on education, community engagement, governance actors, and direct citizen engagement. These actions are systematically assessed for effectiveness, allowing the project to continuously improve its techniques and spread a sea change in behaviour across Europe.
Key Objectives
The Sea Change project is built around four interconnected strategic objectives:
- Ocean Literacy Concept: Establish and apply the Ocean Literacy concept as a framework for understanding citizens' relationship with the sea and marine environments.
- Social Research Foundation: Build upon comprehensive social research to understand citizen and stakeholder attitudes, perceptions, and values regarding ocean health and marine sustainability.
- Mobilisation Activities: Design and implement targeted mobilisation activities across education, community engagement, public engagement, and marine governance sectors to drive behavioural change.
- Effectiveness Assessment: Assess the effectiveness of all mobilisation activities through rigorous evaluation frameworks, enabling continuous improvement and scalable replication across Europe.
Work Packages Overview
The Sea Change project is structured into eight integrated work packages that collectively address all aspects of ocean literacy and citizen engagement:
WP1: Consortium Management and Coordination
Overall project management, coordination of partners, financial management, and strategic direction of the Sea Change initiative.
WP2: Ocean Literacy Framework Development
Establishment and refinement of the Ocean Literacy concept as the foundational framework guiding all project activities and citizen engagement initiatives.
WP3: Social Research and Evidence Building
Comprehensive social research on citizen attitudes, values, and perceptions regarding the ocean, marine sustainability, and environmental stewardship across European populations.
WP4: Education and Lifelong Learning
Development and delivery of ocean literacy education programs for schools, universities, and adult learning initiatives across Europe.
WP5: Public Engagement and Citizen Mobilisation
Design and implementation of public engagement campaigns and mobilisation activities to inspire direct citizen action for ocean health and sustainability.
WP6: Marine Governance and Policy
Engagement with governance stakeholders and policy actors to integrate ocean literacy principles into marine management frameworks and decision-making processes.
WP7: Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation
Strategic communication, project visibility, dissemination of results to diverse audiences, and maximisation of project impact through multiple channels and media.
WP8: Evaluation and Impact Assessment
Comprehensive evaluation of all project activities, assessment of behavioural and social change outcomes, and measurement of project effectiveness and long-term impact.
Project Timeline
Duration: 36 months
Period: 2015–2018
The Sea Change project spans three years of intensive research, stakeholder engagement, activity implementation, and evaluation. This timeframe allows for sustained development of ocean literacy frameworks, delivery of educational and mobilisation activities across multiple European countries, rigorous assessment of behavioural outcomes, and comprehensive documentation and dissemination of project results and lessons learned.
Funding Information
Funding Scheme: Horizon 2020 – Blue Growth Programme
Call Identifier: H2020-BG-2014-1
Grant Agreement: 652644
Total Funding: European Union's Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (H2020-BG-2014-1) under grant agreement No. 652644. This publication reflects the views of the authors, and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which might be made of the information contained therein.