Amorgorama Ambassadors: “Students for Environmental Action”
Objectives of the project
Amorgorama Ambassadors: Students for Environmental Action aimed to empower students of EPAL Amorgou to become active stewards of the island’s three Marine Protected Areas.
The project connected school life with Amorgorama, a fisher-led initiative focused on marine protection, and with the Network of European Blue Schools. It aimed to strengthen ocean literacy, raise awareness about sustainable fishing and plastic pollution, and encourage students to act as ambassadors for marine protection within their island community.
The project also focused on accessibility and inclusion by creating materials that could support visitors with visual impairments and by involving all students in meaningful roles, regardless of background.
Activities
Students researched the goals of Amorgorama and Mission Ocean, collected information on sustainable fishing and plastic pollution, and mapped local stakeholders with input from the local fishermen’s association.
They designed and tested an ocean-literacy leaflet with mini-games, a digital quiz-game, and a song for primary school pupils. These materials were piloted in all primary schools of Amorgos and improved based on feedback.
Students also co-created three tactile 3D-printed maps of Amorgos with QR codes linking to Amorgorama resources. These maps are intended to be installed next to Amorgorama information boards in each Marine Protected Area.
At school level, students carried out a “Plastic Clever School”-inspired action by auditing single-use plastics, banning disposable water bottles on campus, and promoting reusable bottles among peers and staff. They also joined a beach-cleaning action with local fishers and contributed to community outreach activities.
Expected outputs
The project produced a set of ocean-literacy educational materials co-created by students, including an illustrated leaflet with mini-games on marine protection and plastic pollution, a digital quiz-game, and a simple song with lyrics for younger pupils.
The project also produced three tactile 3D-printed maps of Amorgos with QR codes linking to Amorgorama resources, designed to provide accessible information for visitors, including people with visual impairments.
Printed copies of the leaflet and song lyrics were left in each primary school of Amorgos, while digital materials such as the booklet layout, game templates, quiz questions, lyrics, and worksheets will be stored online and made available for reuse and adaptation.
Impact
The project directly involved all 25 students of EPAL Amorgou, making it a whole-school action. Students participated in planning, research, fieldwork with fishers, material creation, 3D-printing workshops, peer-teaching activities, and public communication.
Around 60 pupils from all four primary schools of Amorgos were also directly involved through ocean-literacy games, the digital treasure hunt, and the song prepared by EPAL students.
The project strengthened cooperation with Amorgorama partners, including the local fishermen’s association, the Cyclades Preservation Fund, the Blue Marine Foundation, and the Agricultural University of Athens.
It also helped students develop research, communication, digital, creative, teamwork, and active citizenship skills, while promoting sustainable behaviours and stronger awareness of marine protection across the island community.
