Sea Beyond: Prada Group and Unesco introduce educational programme in 56 countries

Recently, Unesco and the Prada Group announced the third edition of their ‘Sea Beyond’ educational programme for secondary school students. The two partners have expanded the programme this year so it reaches 34,000 students in 56 different countries.

The aim of the Sea Beyond programme is the dissemination of knowledge on the oceans and their preservation. This year’s training focuses on “the interrelation between the ocean and climate, and the associated environmental challenges”, the press release reads.

The 2024 programme will offer students and teachers literacy training sessions, including in-person lessons with ocean and climate experts at Unesco. In addition, Unesco and Prada Group are launching a contest for which they have invited schools to create an awareness campaign with text, graphics and interactive content.

The goal of the contest is for participants to explain to their peers how to adopt more conscious behaviours that will help preserve the ocean.

The jury who will evaluate the students’ campaigns consists of “people who have placed a love for the ocean at the centre of their personal and professional lives”, also known as Sea Beyonders, as per the release.

Libraries without Borders: Prada Group and Unesco partner with new organisation

A new addition this year is the partnership with Bibliothèques Sans Frontières (Libraries without Borders), an international non-profit organisation that aims to facilitate access to education, culture and information for people in vulnerable situations.

The aim of the new partnership is to provide children and young citizens in vulnerable communities with access to education about the oceans.

This access will be facilitated through the multimedia centre the ‘Ideas Box’ which spans over 100 square metres and features internet connection, tablets, and laptops. It also boasts over 250 books and games as well as hundreds of training materials.

From June 2024, the partnership with Libraries without Borders will allow the development of an Ideas Box dedicated to the Sea Beyond programme. The Sea Beyond Ideas Box will be presented in Venice on International Ocean Day and based in Naples. Afterwards, it will travel across Italy.

In France, Burundi and the Ivory Coast, multimedia contents relating to the oceans prepared by Unesco experts, will be integrated into Ideas Boxes that already exist in these countries.

One percent of the proceeds of the sales of Prada’s Re-Nylon Collection go directly towards the Sea Beyond programme.