Blue United: a student led project co-created by Master's Students at the Department of Earth Sciences

Alessandra Puce, Andrea Iannarelli, Beatriz Machado de Faria, and Viviana Perino—four Master's students from the Department of Geosciences at the University of Turin—collaborated on an innovative project  led by Margherita Paola Poto. Their initiative, Blue United, was developed using the Ocean Incubator Network learning toolkit to address the challenges connected to SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Blue United is an educational project designed to engage high school students in ocean stewardship through an interdisciplinary and participatory simulation. Inspired by United Nations-style debates, the simulation integrates diverse systems of knowledge—scientific, political, artistic, and traditional—to explore ocean-related challenges from multiple perspectives.

The activity unfolds in two phases:

  1. Preparation Phase: Students study and assume specific roles, such as scientists, policymakers, artists, activists, and more.

  2. Operational Phase: Participants engage in a structured debate to co-create a shared action plan addressing ocean sustainability.

Running parallel to the simulation is a creative group called Ocean Voices, which produces artistic content inspired by the experience. This includes poetry, videos, posters, and visual storytelling. By adding an emotional and expressive dimension, Ocean Voices strengthens students’ connection to the issues discussed and fosters broader engagement beyond the classroom.

The project team—hailing from diverse academic and cultural backgrounds in natural sciences, economics, sociology, Italy, and Brazil—leveraged their varied perspectives to design a flexible and globally relevant format.

The ultimate goal of Blue United is to create a participatory learning experience that builds critical thinking and collaboration skills while fostering a deeper emotional connection to ocean sustainability. By valuing diverse knowledge systems and encouraging creative expression, the project seeks to inspire the next generation of ocean stewards.

You can read the full essay here

This blogpost can be cited as: Puce, Iannarelli, Machado de Faria, Perino, Blue United: a student led project co-created by Master's Students at the Department of Earth Sciences, April 8, 2025.