The Irish Ocean Literacy Network are delighted to annouce the IOLN Annual Members Meeting – ‘Connecting People & Ocean’, which will take place in Dublin, 22 November from 10am – 4pm.
We are looking forward to seeing attend as many of our Members and new Members, and to have their voice heard in shaping our Ocean Literacy strategy for the coming years.
The meeting will also host a number of public engagement and sustainability experts from across Ireland to showcase the incredible work happening to engage the public with our ocean across this island.
It will also be a great opportunity to network, so far the following organisations are attending: An Taisce, Clean Coasts, Coastwatch, DCU, ERINN Innovation, Failte Ireland, Fair Seas, Fenit Coast Conservation, Flossy and the Beach Cleaners, Galway Atlantaquaria, Irish Sailing, LAWPRO, National Biodiversity Data Centre, Queen’s University Belfast, Sea Synergy, the ‘Shifting Tides’ project, TCD, UCC MaREI, and Ulster Wildlife.
It is also a milestone event as the IOLN have just set up as a Company Limited by Guarantee as we try and ramp up our activity and impact. This event will be a good opportunity to capture the views of the Members.
- When: Wednesday 22nd November 2023, 10.30am – 4pm (coffee will be available from 10am)
- Where: Disability Federation of Ireland (Fumbally Court, Fumbally Ln, The Liberties, Dublin 8, D08 TXY8).
- Cost: Free, lunch will be provided.
Speakers at our event will include:
- The opening presentation will be given by Johanne Murphy, the Project Manager of the award-winning free multi-watersport event ‘Watersports Inclusion Games’ organised by Irish Sailing for all abilities/disabilities from the physical, intellectual, sensory and learning spectrums and those who experience barriers accessing mainstream sport, aimed especially at young people but catering for all ages.
- Donal Griffin is the Marine Policy Officer with the Fair Seas coalition campaign in Ireland. His presentation will summarise the results of Fair Seas’ recent ocean literacy survey which showed the deep connection between the people of Ireland and the sea.
- Geraldine Ann Cusack (Fáilte Ireland’s Sustainability & Climate Action Officer) will present her work focused on developing and supporting the implementation and focus of strategic United Nation’s SDGs – weaving them into internal corporate focus areas, and externally helping to influence stakeholder businesses and destinations on their journey to achieving balanced environmental, social and economic activity.
- Ruth Brennan is a transdisciplinary marine social scientist and creative researcher at Trinity College Dublin, specialising in marine environmental governance and co-designed, participatory research. She will talk about ocean literacy as an emotional entanglement of people and place.
- Dave Wall (Citizen Science Officer at the National Biodiversity Data Centre) will talk about the the EPA funded Explore Your Shore! project he manages and, in particular, he will present a project update, some recent findings, and introduce two new surveys focusing on the Rocky Shore.
- Lucy Hunt (CEO of the award winning marine awareness, research & activity centre Sea Synergy) will give a talk about her role as a Senior Advisor to The Ocean Race, as part of which she has created the first iteration of their international ocean literacy programme in 2017, which has now evolved from primary school resources to youth- and adult-focused resources and workshops being used in 80 countries worldwide.
- Rita Hagan (MSc in Coastal and Marine Environments and Coastwatch volunteer) is currently working on a fixed term project monitoring the seagrass bed on Merrion Strand, and in her talk she will highlight the help she has received from the local residents in monitoring the changes in the seagrass bed on Merrion Strand from 2019 – 2023.
- Benjamin Mallon (Assistant Professor in Geography Education in Dublin City University) will shares some of the findings from research completed as part of the ‘Climate and Ocean Literacy Network Ireland and Mauritius (COLNIM)’ project, in particular the extent to which climate change is integrated into current primary school national science curricula of Ireland and Mauritius.
- Ed Sheldon (Fenit Coast Conservation in collaboration with Banna Coast Care, Banna Sea Rescue and the Maharees Conservation Association) presented some of their incredible Citizen Science seagrass observations from the Black Rock Pool. He also discussed the importance of networking with Irish eNGOs as well as feeding data into global networks like the MarineGEO.
- Caoimhe O’Brien Moran (Senior Green-Schools Officer with An Taisce’s Environmental Education Unit) will describe her work with primary and secondary schools on the Global Citizenship: Marine Environment theme, which focuses on reducing marine litter, raising awareness about protecting coastal and oceanic habitats and increasing knowledge of marine biodiversity.
If you would like to attend please email irishoceanliteracynetwork@gmail.com by the 20th of Novmber.