BaLiSEdu Partners Meet in Tallinn, Estonia

Reviewing Existing Materials and User Needs
A central topic of the meeting was the analysis of a survey conducted among Environmental and Nature Education Centres. Partners reviewed the results to better understand which Baltic Sea topics educators most are interested in and what types of educational materials would be most useful in their daily work.
A wide range of educational resources were collected through the survey and will be reviewed as part of the BaliSEdu project.

Testing Ideas Through Play
One of the highlights of the meeting was a hands-on workshop featuring a large-scale Baltic Sea ecological game. The game is built around a giant puzzle map of the Baltic Sea, which participants assembled together while exploring different marine ecosystems, species and environmental features.
The partners agreed that the interactive game has strong potential to become a central element of the future Marine Educational Package.
Before making final decisions about the package content, partners will continue reviewing and evaluating the available materials in detail to ensure that the final MEP provides the most relevant learning tools.

Inspiration from the Estonian Maritime Museum
The meeting venue itself provided an inspiring setting for discussions on marine education. Helene Uppin, the Curator of Education at Estonian Maritime Museum, introduced their educational resources that could potentially be adapted for use in nature education centres. Participants also enjoyed a guided tour of the museum, located inside the medieval cannon tower of Paks Margareeta. The exhibition includes numerous maritime treasures, including the remains of a shipwreck that is about 700 years old, offering a fascinating perspective on the Baltic Sea’s cultural and maritime history.

Next Steps
On the second day, project partners focused on the next stages of MEP development, agreed on a work plan for producing the educational package, and discussed upcoming reporting and project activities.
By combining educational expertise with the up-to-date marine science, BaLiSEdu aims to strengthen Baltic Sea literacy across Finland, Estonia and Latvia. The jointly developed Marine Educational Package will help Environmental and Nature Education Centres bring the Baltic Sea closer to learners of all ages and promote a deeper understanding of the sea’s ecosystems, challenges and importance for society.