This project promotes the awareness and development of citizen science, in terms of fisheries sustainability, the care and preservation of the marine environment and its biodiversity, by actively involving students of different educational levels in training activities, knowledge transfer and practical application in the community. Through different actions, students become active agents of social and environmental change, strengthening the link between inland and coastal areas and improving society’s image of fishing activities, in addition to strengthening citizen commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, starting as a reference from SDG 14.

To this end, a Service-Learning (SL) program in higher education will be developed to train students of the University of Alcalá in the knowledge of the marine environment, fishing and oceanic culture. In the learning phase, university students will receive specialized training on marine biodiversity, sustainable fisheries, blue economy and gender. As the final activity of this phase, the students will contribute to the design of a board game as a training and recreational resource for the schools participating in the project.

This initiative represents an innovative proposal, by translating the contents worked on in the learning phase into a creative, accessible and motivating teaching resource, promoting meaningful learning and awareness of SDG 14 from an active and experiential perspective.

In the service phase, students will carry out different initiatives, in accordance with the programme of activities in different schools in Madrid and Guadalajara. This programme will include activities on various aspects such as marine biodiversity, life on a fishing boat, waste characterisation, water quality analysis (in the Tagus River Basin District) or how microplastics affect microorganisms. The blue economy, the role of women in the fishing sector, the implementation of an informative board game or the design of an awareness campaign on the care of the oceans will also be addressed. In addition, a collaboration with a coastal centre will be promoted as a complementary initiative that will include the sending of waste and biodiversity collected in at least one beach and/or sea clean-up.

INTEMARES complementary project.

The following entities act as collaborating entities: Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, Diputación de Guadalajara, Cofradía de Pescadores de Motril, CEIP La Zafra (Vecindario, Gran Canaria), Seaqual Foundation, Cholita Corme and Futuralga.