How to participate

Teachers should get in touch with their country’s national contact point by going to the Become A Plastic Pirate page and select your country from the language drop-down menu. There, you can register your school and indicate your interest in joining a sampling campaign.

Your national contact point will support you in preparing and carrying out the sampling. You can also download the sampling protocol and a wide range of additional information materials here — both in English and in other languages — by selecting your country from the drop-down menu.

Please note that Plastic Pirates cannot provide financial support for field trips. However, schools may be eligible for funding through ERASMUS+ (see "via ERASMUS+")

Schools that would like to organise transnational Plastic Pirates sampling campaigns together with partner schools in other European countries can explore funding opportunities through Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships.

To be eligible, the partnership should include schools from at least three countries — and importantly, involve at least one local Plastic Pirates partner organisation in a country where the initiative is already active. This ensures that the campaign follows the official sampling protocol and that results can be integrated into the European database.

Erasmus+ can provide funding for shared activities such as sampling at cross-border or shared rivers, exchange of best practices, and joint learning experiences.

For more details on how to apply and the eligibility requirements, please visit the official Erasmus+ pages.

Young people aged 18 to 30 can apply for a European Solidarity Corps solidarity project lasting between 2 and 12 months. Such projects receive EU funding to support activities that benefit the local community.

A volunteer group can integrate Plastic Pirates samplings into their project by organising river monitoring and clean-up activities, engaging schools or youth groups, and raising awareness about plastic pollution. By following the official Plastic Pirates protocols, the collected data contributes to the European research database while also having a direct local impact.

This way, your solidarity project combines environmental protection, community involvement, and European cooperation — with financial support from the The European Solidarity Corps.

European Solidarity Corps is an EU funding programme for young people wishing to engage in solidary activities in a variety of areas. The programme finances projects to engage young people in solidary activities addressing societal challenges through volunteering or by setting up their own solidary projects. The programme’s ambition is not only to be more inclusive but also greener and more digital. It is open to individuals aged 18 to 30 (35 for humanitarian aid) and to organisations in EU and partner countries.

Organisations can also join the Plastic Pirates – Go Europe! initiative. They may either support ongoing efforts in a participating country or take on the role of a national contact point in a new country.

A new national contact point would be responsible for helping schools organise samplings, translating the Project Booklet and materials into the local language, and processing the data uploaded by participating school classes to the Plastic Pirates database.

Establishing Plastic Pirates in a new country would be a great step forward. However, please note that no central funding can be provided. Interested organisations would need to contribute in kind or secure financial support through European or national funding programmes.

If your organisation is interested in becoming a new national contact point and is willing — or has already secured funding — please get in touch with the European Coordinators of the Plastic Pirates at DLR. Contact details can be found under the “Contact” section of this website.

European Blue Schools aim to inspire teachers, school directors or staff of education services, to challenge their students, from kindergarten, primary, lower and upper secondary, technical or vocational schools, to develop a “Find the blue” project that links them to the ocean or the sea.

Why become a European Blue School?

Schools that take up the Find the Blue challenge shall identify an ocean-based topic that is relevant to their students, and collaborate with their pupils to create a school project. Student ownership, collaborations with other organizations and people involved with the ocean and creating a community with the same passion will be key values of these projects. By successfully completing the Find the Blue challenge, schools will receive a European Blue School certification.

How to become a European Blue School?

Every project that a school submits to become a European Blue School should achieve the following five compulsory criteria:

• Develop a project with interlinked activities: A project consists of several complementary activities under the umbrella of one central topic.
• Produce a clear output: The initiative encourages students to be active learners and develop a product, object, event or service that can be exhibited or used as a tool for communication.
• Involve all students: Students play an active role in all phases of the project. The teacher facilitates learning and guides students to become independent workers, allowing them to show what they can do.
• Collaborate with a local partner: Invite an expert, marine scientist, NGO, science centre, maritime company and/or government body to help facilitate the creation, implementation and communication of the project. Go to the EU4Ocean Platform to find a partner!
• Communicate project results: Let students improve their communication skills and feel more engaged with their local community by talking about the project in a meaningful and informed way, starting with their own social environment.

Are you up for the challenge? Submit your application!

The Handbook for Teachers outlines the teaching principles behind the European Blue School initiative and the European Blue School certification process. It includes a step-by-step guide for developing your own blue project, ideas and tools that can help you get started, as well as a variety of inspiring projects from all over Europe. Ready to start? Submit your application! 

Being part of the Network of European Blue Schools

All successful projects will be showcased on the map of European Blue Schools. Every school will receive its own webpage on the Maritime Forum that can be managed and updated.