Based on the firm belief that the education and awareness of children is an essential prerequisite for any prospect of sustainability and environmental restoration, Aenaos Thalassa has prioritised environmental education as a timeless and extremely important pillar of its strategy and initiatives, implemented through school visits, training sessions, outdoor activities, and more.
Educational Cruises
The long-standing wish of Alonissos residents to see and explore the Alonissos Marine Park became a reality. The free educational “cruises” for Alonissos residents, aboard the vessel Niriis, were launched with great success in 2024 with the participation of students from the Alonissos Evening High School and local residents. The first educational cruises were made possible with the kind support of ESOMAR. Since then, this activity has gained a dedicated following and continues at an intensive pace, giving participants the opportunity to admire up close the unparalleled beauty of the National Marine Park of Alonissos Northern Sporades, and to learn about the rare species of the area through discussions with the crew and printed informational material.
Funding of Educational Trips / Participation in Conferences
With the promotion of knowledge, environmental education and awareness in mind, Aenaos Thalassa supports educational school trips. To date, 4 educational trips abroad for schools from Alonissos have been financially supported, enabling students to participate in environmentally themed events and to present the immense ecological significance of the iconic Alonissos Marine Park.
Development of the Aqua Navigators Application
With the aim of raising environmental awareness and enhancing the technological skills of Alonissos students, Aenaos Thalassa supported the initiative of the educational organisation SciCo in May 2023. The initiative focused on developing a mobile application, using the marine area of the NMPANS as a case study due to its immense ecological value. The application features an interactive Google map and geolocation, and provides users with full information on all zones, including the specific protection regulations applicable in each zone. It also includes photographs and information on selected points of interest in Alonissos, such as beaches and museums, a text-to-speech function, and the ability to send the user’s geographic coordinates via email in case of emergency. This initiative was based on the concept of a previous application developed four years earlier by students of the Alonissos High School, under the guidance of their supervising teacher, which was updated, enriched and improved through the recent educational process.
Creation of an Educational Documentary
Aenaos Thalassa inspired and supported the Scouts of Alonissos to create a short film/documentary dedicated to the Marine Park, after first training them in the art and techniques of documentary filmmaking. The documentary presents the history of the Marine Park, its legal protection status, its distinctive features and its unique biodiversity. It has been screened at numerous national and international film festivals, including the Munich Film Festival, the Chania Film Festival, and others.
The expertise the children gained through their participation in making the documentary, their exposure to the world of film production, and their meaningful familiarity with their island are the lasting legacy of this initiative, which also paved the way for subsequent activities, such as the establishment of AMoS, the first marine film festival in Alonissos.
Watch the documentary here
Educational Art Activity “The Secrets of the Ocean”
“The Secrets of the Ocean” is the interactive programme implemented by artist Konstantina Rizopoulou in March 2024 as part of Aenaos Thalassa’s educational programmes. The programme, through experiential play and a multisensory approach, helped primary school students in Alonissos understand the relationship between humans and the marine/ocean environment, both locally and globally, raise awareness about the issues affecting it, and find inspiration to contribute to addressing them, within the framework of developing active global citizenship skills.
Furthermore, as part of the educational process, the students created an artwork conveying their environmental message to world leaders, which was presented at the Our Ocean Conference 2024.
BeeCamp
In 2023 and 2024, BeeCamp, with the support of Aenaos Thalassa, presented Alonissos students with an interactive educational programme focused on the importance of bees as pollinators.
Photography Competition “Shoot the Litter”
Alongside the regular beach clean-ups, a photography competition titled “Shoot the Litter” was organised in spring 2018. As part of the competition, Alonissos students were invited to discuss and reflect on the problem of marine pollution, while also finding artistic inspiration by capturing it through photography.
Blue Generation
In collaboration with Militos S.A. and as part of the “Blue Generation” project, Aenaos Thalassa organised informational presentations for young people on the three islands of the Sporades (Skiathos, Skopelos, Alonissos), with the aim of promoting maritime professions and career prospects in the Blue Economy.
Educational Activity “The Rescue of Neravgi”
The value of freedom, the importance of solidarity and friendship, and the enchanting world of dolphins are at the heart of the story “The Rescue of Neravgi,” which was presented through interactive storytelling, drama play and visual expression to students at all primary schools in Alonissos, Skiathos and Skopelos, by author Elpida Minadaki and visual artist Anastasia Chatziantoniou, with the support of Aenaos Thalassa.
Collaboration with Onar Bookshop
We believe that children who love books and the sea bring hope for a more sustainable future. We were delighted to accept the invitation from Onar Bookshop to speak with our young friends about the marine environment and our organisation’s efforts to preserve it, in the warm and welcoming space of the bookshop.