Eurocean's Youth
Surfrider Foundation Europe mobilizes the Youth on the future of the European maritime world
Eurocean’s Youth: the first network that connects young Europeans to the maritime world
The concept of Eurocean’s Youth is to link young Europeans to the maritime world within a unique network carrying the youth’s vision for the protection of the ocean and a sustainable maritime world. Developed by Surfrider Foundation Europe, this network brings together a hundred of young people aged from 20 to 27 years-old, coming from 27 countries of the European Union (EU). They are trained alongside professionals and experts.
Eurocean’s Youth welcomes experts with a scientific background in engineering, marine biology and oceanography, as well as experts in law, philosophy, political science, sport, communication…
“Join Eurocean’s Youth network to advance a sustainable future to the maritime world”
A successful first year
The young ambassadors of the Eurocean’s Youth network have published a manifesto of 12 recommendations to improve the blue economy and maritime transport. These recommendations addressed to policy makers were presented at various high-level international events throughout 2022 :
– Official presentation in La Rochelle in front of the French Minister of the Sea Annick Girardin and 40 heads of state
– the One Ocean Summit in Brest, France
– the Ocean Week in Brussels, Belgium
– the European Maritime Days in Ravenna, Italy
– the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development Goal 14 in Lisbon, Portugal.
Sum up of the recommendations
Recommendations about blue careers
1. Implement a comprehensive maritime surveillance and enforcement program.
2. Invest in the training and retraining of people employed in disappearing industries to facilitate their transition to emerging sustainable jobs.
3. Create a maritime Erasmus+ program combining education, employment, and networking opportunities to improve knowledge transfer and raise awareness of maritime issues.
4. Create a European platform to advance ocean knowledge.
5. Introduce ocean certification for public authorities in the European Union.
6. Implement a new rating system for zero-emission ships combining the EU regulation and the IMO rating system.
Recommendations about shipping
7. Improve water quality monitoring in EU ports.
8. Ensure strict implementation of dredging rules with the ambition of introducing a dredging ban in the coming years.
9. Provide EU subsidies for training in autonomous ship technology and promote this specialization in maritime schools in EU countries.
10. Make available public, private, and EU funding for the environmental transition of the shipping sector.
11. Facilitate the adhesion of shipowners to the Green Marine label by providing financial support to its certified members.
12. Strengthen the link between ocean and marine science and policy makers, by increasing the funding of transdisciplinary research on ocean issues and creating a science-policy interface on ocean sustainability.
Meet our Eurocean’s Youth amabassadors
A year 2023 full of promise
In 2023, the young ambassadors of the Eurocean’s Youth network will have two main areas of work:
– Deepen the 12 recommendations that were published in 2022 and continue to disseminate them to international decision-makers during major events related to the Ocean
– To be the representatives and the relay of the great European consultation that Surfrider will launch in 2023 in view of the European elections of 2024. They are also contributing to this consultation with their recommendations on two large topics :
- Impacts of blue economy on ocean biodiversity
- Impacts of pollution on marine life
Blue Up & Eurocean’s Youth
During 2023, the Eurocean’s Youth ambassadors are implicated in the non-partisan initiative aimed at putting the ocean protection at the center of the European agenda ahead of the 2024 European Elections: the Blue Up 2024 campaign, launched by Surfrider Foundation Europe.
This campaign will start with a citizen consultation called “It’s Bluedy time, Europe!”. And, the role of Eurocean’s Youth ambassadors is to share and to contribute to this consultation, as a representative sample of European youth and Ocean lover. They deeply worked on the topics of the consultation and wrote their recommendations. From now, they are going to continue to share the consultation across the EU and to advocate for their vision.
