A team of Maltese participants, including three teachers and Professor Mark Mifsud, travelled to Crete between 4 to 8 May 2022 to present the work they have been carrying out in their schools in relation to the BluesMed Project. The teachers were able to showcase their projects to other participants from various countries including Greece, Italy and France.
The Maltese teachers, Fiona Vella Ciangura and Alana Fenech from Maria Regina Secondary in Mosta and Kimberly Bonello from St Thomas Moore Middle School in Tarxien, presented their projects carried out at their respective schools and explained the way forward at the (Hellenic Centre for Marine Research) HCMR premises in Heraklion.
The former project involved several students who worked on Kahoot! quizzes pertaining to research done about the sea, mainly, sea pollution, corals, sea mammals and sea maps. Conversely, the latter project, which is still in its implementation phase, plans to tackle the topic of fishing, where students will discuss, with marine experts and fishermen, the positive and negative aspects of fishing in the Maltese islands and how this is affecting the Mediterranean Sea.
The teachers taking part in this Erasmus plus project were involved in workshops and field activities supported by the educational team in the Cretaquarium. Apart from bonding and sharing of ideas and experiences amongst other participant countries, all involved were able to visit the old city of Heraklion, as well as the Archaeological Museum which was deemed very informative as the sea’s value could be observed throughout the ages.
Finally, Professor Mifsud linked the presented projects to the SDGs, highlighting that we should link the sea, food, migrants, biodiversity, poverty and consumerism to help us reflect and think outside the box, so that we can educate students and enhance not only their knowledge, but also their values and skills to live a more sustainable life.