Phase 1 of monaco’s ocean protection project has been achieved

On Monday 9 October 2017 the International University of Monaco, Monaco Impact and the Monaco Oceanographic Museum signed a partnership agreement. The aim of the partnership is to raise awareness of environmental themes, and in particular the protection of the oceans, among young people. The first step – raising IUM students’ awareness of the Ocean Protection Project’s objectives and the Oceanographic Museum’s ocean protection activities has now been achieved.

IUM students will be the driving force behind the study project that will run until the summer of 2018 and that will focus on developing proposals for innovative solutions and new digital and environmental mediation tools.

On 7 December 2017 a guided tour of the Oceanic Museum brought the group of IUM Masters students who will be carrying out the project and Monaco Impact members up to date with the Oceanographic Institute’s history, collections and current infrastructure. The visit was followed by a discussion that laid the foundation for an open dialogue between the Project partners.

This event was followed a few days later by a conference at the Oceanographic Museum, led by Mr. Dufourneaud, Ocean Policy Director, and attended by Peter Kütemann, President of Monaco Impact.

Mr. Dufourneaud introduced hundreds of IUM students to the history of the Institute and its activities and highlighting the important role played by the generations of Princes of Monaco from Rainier I to H.S.H Prince Albert II and not forgetting Prince Albert I whose fascination with oceanographic exploration led him to found the Museum and the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco.

During the conference, the Oceanographic Institute’s operations and activities related to ocean protection were presented in detail along with its significance for Monaco in particular and, more generally, for fostering the emergence of a pro-ocean conservation policy.

After the Conference the group of students carrying out the Project began working in earnest on Phase 2 – the development of the survey to be conducted among young people. This is a crucial phase because, before the students can start thinking about innovative solutions for the Museum, they need to assess the younger generation’s level of awareness regarding ocean protection. Personal and targeted questions like “What actions do you as an individual take to protect the ocean?” and “What do you think are the main problems facing oceans today?” will enable the level of knowledge of today’s youth to be analyzed. To date more than 100 IUM Bachelor Degree students have completed the survey and the analysis of the results will be presented next month.
In March, when the survey results have been analyzed and the Museum team has defined the Project objective, the Masters students with the help of Bachelor degree students, will develop digitalization strategies and project proposals that will be presented to a jury in May.

Peter Kütemann, President of Monaco Impact: “Promoting entrepreneurship in young people and helping them, through mentoring and support, to develop a global vision of social and environmental issues is very important. We will be happy to award the best project proposal and participate in its development and possible implementation.”

The survey now being closed for this edition, have a look at its results: here!

Follow the evolution of the project on social networks:
#OceanoMonacoCampus #OceanoMonacoIUM