The Next Wave
Objectives of the project
The Next Wave aimed to strengthen ocean and water literacy, especially by helping students understand the connection between inland actions and the wellbeing of the Baltic Sea.
The project encouraged students to explore the Baltic Sea as a fragile and unique ecosystem, shaped by both natural processes and human activity. It focused on topics such as brackish water environments, biodiversity, eutrophication, pollution, climate change, and sustainable actions.
Another key objective was to promote active citizenship, collaboration skills, and international cooperation through Erasmus+, eTwinning, the UNESCO Baltic Sea Project network, and the European Blue Schools network.
Activities
Students took part in BlueLightS workshops during Erasmus+ mobilities at Oriveden lukio and Oriveden yhteiskoulu. These workshops focused on ocean and water literacy.
Students also participated in eTwinning collaboration with partner schools from Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, and other European countries. They joined school meetings, national and international online meetings, and discussions with other Baltic Sea Project Youth Ambassadors.
A major activity was the large BlueLightS project event organised in Vaasa on 11–12 May 2026, with around 180 participants. The event included workshops, lectures, and activities related to Baltic Sea protection, sustainability, and active citizenship.
Expected Outputs
The project produced materials for the interdisciplinary study module “Our Baltic Sea”, developed by Oriveden lukio.
The module explores the Baltic Sea, its biodiversity, environmental challenges, scientific processes, real-world data, and international cooperation for sea protection.
The materials were published in English and shared through the international UNESCO Baltic Sea Project network, making them accessible to other schools.
The project also generated workshop results, Padlet materials, examples of Baltic Sea education activities, and models for local and international school cooperation.
Impact
The project directly involved 25 students from Oriveden lukio and indirectly reached all 150 students at the school through project activities.
It also involved around 100 students from partner schools directly and reached many more through Erasmus+ visits, eTwinning cooperation, Youth Ambassador activities, and the Vaasa project event.
The project strengthened students’ knowledge of the Baltic Sea, ocean and water literacy, active citizenship, collaboration skills, and international cooperation.
It also supported the Baltic Sea Project Youth Ambassadors network, promoted participation in the European Blue Schools network, and created freely accessible educational materials that can continue to be used by schools in Finland and beyond.
