Educational missions

CREATE ENTHUSIASM AROUND MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

While characterizing the nature and extent of ocean pollution is essential to assess the situation and guide future actions, it is also crucial to involve as many people as possible and gain their support. Without this support, none of the actions can succeed. That's why the project embraced by the members and crew of L'Expédition Bleue is firmly focused outward. Awareness campaigns are conducted in schools, at major public gatherings, and on our social media platforms.

1. Awareness workshops and interactive sessions on marine environmental protection

The association members, in collaboration with partner teachers, have co-designed a series of workshops focusing on the nature, extent, and origin of plastic pollution in the oceans, as well as the challenges of reversing its impact. These workshops, tailored for kindergarten, primary, middle school, and high school classes, are conducted via video conferencing directly from the expedition's sailboat.

Intervention dans un collège des Bouches du Rhône

Since the expedition's departure in December 2022, workshops have already been conducted for:

- 300 students from various middle schools in the Bouches-du-Rhône department (13) as part of the Waste Wars 5 competition. This competition is organized by the Sustainable Development Directorate of the Istres-Ouest Provence Territorial Council, the Environmental Education Department, and the Waste Sorting Ambassadors, focusing on the management of wild waste.

- 12 students from a Kindergarten class located in Paris (75).

Workshop Contents
Middle School
The program starts with an immersive workshop built around the data collected from the L'Expédition Bleue's sailboat. It will help students better understand the nature of plastic pollution in the oceans and its impact on marine ecosystems. The second workshop focuses on the extent of plastic pollution in the oceans and its origin. Students will learn about the formation of plastic continents, the quantity of plastic concentration, and the sources of these plastics. The last workshop addresses the limitations of reversing ocean plastic pollution and the necessity of preventing this pollution at its source. Students will be encouraged to brainstorm potential solutions to address the issue.

Kindergarten
The workshops for the little ones aim to introduce them to the sailboat, recycling of waste, ocean pollution, and marine ecosystems.

Of course, L'Expédition Bleue doesn't plan to stop there, and numerous other workshops are currently being developed. We will share more details when these new initiatives come to fruition.

2. Public gatherings and social media interventions on ocean protection

Ocean pollution concerns us all, and the association actively collaborates with large public gatherings. Recently, we had the opportunity to host a booth dedicated to ocean plastic pollution at the Camargue Festival in Port Saint Louis du Rhône and the Salt Festival in Salins de Giraud. These events provide valuable opportunities for meaningful interactions as we showcase the association's actions, present our results, and raise awareness about ocean pollution. Most importantly, they allow us to reach a diverse and potentially uninitiated audience to address the issue effectively.

3. Social media presence and creation of a YouTube channel on eco-Initiatives

Certainly, the association is highly active on social media. This communication tool helps bridge the distance between the expedition and its audience, allowing us to share the consequences of pollution we witness every day and reaching new people in the process. It also provides an opportunity to showcase our daily life and the challenges we encounter. If you are interested, the links to our Facebook and Instagram accounts are available below.

In addition to documenting our journey, we believe it is crucial to promote happy discoveries and initiatives that deserve encouragement. Therefore, we have created a series of mini YouTube videos called "Le Tour du Monde des Éco-Initiatives" (The World Tour of Eco-Initiatives), where we highlight various positive initiatives. The initial videos include topics such as "A beach without trash" and "Seabins" (ocean trash bins).

Of course, these topics still revolve around an issue that is close to our hearts: ocean pollution. We hope to see you soon on these videos, which you can find on this link: https://www.youtube.com/@associationlexpeditionbleue

If you are a municipality, association, or company and would like the members of L'Expédition Bleue to provide a presentation or intervention in your organization, don't hesitate to contact us!