Blue Schools
Educating people about the sea means educating them to manage the future. The European Blue Schools integrate marine education into their curricula, following the guidelines promoted by the European Commission (DG MARE) and supported by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (UNESCO-IOC) as part of the Ocean Decade 2021–2030.
The aim is to develop a culture of ocean literacy: understanding how the sea influences our lives and how our actions influence the sea. This is essential for us as a company and as islanders; it is fundamental for everyone.
What does it mean to be a Blue School?
Each school develops its own Blue Challenge, an interdisciplinary project linked to the sea and sustainability through, for example:
- scientific education and environmental monitoring
citizen science - art, storytelling and creative expression
study of marine ecosystems and biodiversity - involvement of the local community and local partners
The sea thus becomes a stable part of the school curriculum.
The progress made to date
Thanks to the coordination of Fondazione Acqua dell’Elba, with scientific support from the Tuscan Archipelago National Park, and following a recent agreement with ANCIM – Associazione Nazionale Comuni Isole Minori – an initial network of Italian ‘blue schools’ has been established across various regions of the peninsula. The main stages were:
- In the 2023-2024 academic year, the Island of Elba became the first European territorial unit where all the educational institutions are certified as Blue Schools;
- In the 2024–2025 academic year, the Blue Schools project has been extended to the entire Tuscan Archipelago, with the remaining 2 schools in the archipelago – on the islands of Giglio and Capraia – having obtained certification.
- In the 2025–2026 academic year, in November 2025, a cooperation agreement was signed with ANCIM – Associazione Nazionale Comuni Isole Minori – to extend the Blue Schools model to schools on Italy’s smaller islands. The first certifications are expected by the end of the 2025–2026 academic year
The National Network
Today, our aim is to progressively build an island-based educational network dedicated to Ocean Literacy, in coordination with the relevant European and international bodies.
On 8 April 2026, ahead of the upcoming National Day of the Sea on 11 April, we held, together with IOC-UNESCO, the Tuscan Archipelago National Park and ANCIM, the webinar “Blue Schools in Italy: educating about the ocean, building the network”, attended by a large number of schools interested in becoming Blue Schools and/or joining the network to carry out joint projects.
The webinar marked the first step in a wider initiative aimed at expanding the current network to include the many Italian schools that are already certified but not yet part of the network, and at promoting it to an ever-growing number of schools that are not yet familiar with the programme.
Join the network!
If your school is interested in joining the national network of Blue Schools, please fill in this form: we’ll get in touch to tell you more about the programme and plan the next steps together!
Next event: SEIF 2026
On 27 June 2026, at 6.00 pm, in Portoferraio on the Island of Elba, we are organising the first in-person meeting of the Italian Blue Schools: both those that are already such and those interested in becoming one.
This will be a unique opportunity to learn about the projects being carried out by Italian Blue Schools, to network, and to ask as many questions as you like about the Blue Schools initiative and the benefits it can bring. This is true for both individual schools and the education system as a whole – starting with the development of a growing awareness among pupils and teachers of all aspects of the sea.
The event will take place during SEIF, the first international festival dedicated to the protection and promotion of the sea. Find out more about SEIF by clicking HERE
The event is open to all and free of charge, and will be organised e as part of the eighth edition of SEIF, the programme which is available HERE
Anyone interested in taking part can send an email to: segreteria@fondazioneacquadellelba.org
For further information
Curious to find out more about the ‘Blue Schools’ project and the initiatives carried out so far by schools in the Italian network over the last few years? Here are some useful links and documents: