What Happened at The Blue Schools Seminar at PLOCAN

• February 9, 2026

On Friday 30 January, the first face-to-face Blue Schools seminar took place in Gran Canaria, under the umbrella of the PHAROS European project mega-event. More than 50 attendees, most of them teachers from schools on the island of Gran Canaria, took part in this event, which was held at the facilities of the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN).

The event featured the official presentation of the Canary Network of Blue Schools as a permanent collaborative space. This initiative seeks to facilitate partnerships, share experiences and coordinate actions that reinforce the presence of the ocean in school life, connecting classroom learning with activities in the local environment. The day also included an exhibition of inspiring experiences from educational centres already involved and a mini fair where various organisations presented teaching resources and materials.

The event began with an introduction to the PHAROS project by Silvia Martin, responsible research manager at PLOCAN and a member of the PHAROS project. Following this, Eli Bonfill (responsible for the Blue Schools initiative within the PHAROS project and a member of the Spanish Network of Blue Schools) introduced the Blue School concept and its global, European, and Spanish context. She also explained the opportunities in terms of economic and educational resources available at the European level, many of which revolve around the three European Blue Schools projects: ProBleu, SHORE, and BlueLightS, funded by the European Commission’s Ocean and Waters Mission. The opportunity was also taken to mention a new citizen science challenge for schools that will be launched shortly under the PHAROS project umbrella and with the support of the ICM-CSIC’s MINKA citizen science platform.

Since one of the seminar’s objectives was to inspire teachers, two schools participating in the EduSen educational program led by PLOCAN, IES Las Huesas and IES Tamogante, had the opportunity to share their experiences with these programs and what being a Blue School has meant to them.

The session continued with the official launch of the Canary Islands Blue Schools Network, coordinated by Plocan, which already has 19 certified Blue Schools, 16 of them in Gran Canaria and 13 of them certified under PHAROS umbrella. This official presentation of the network was accompanied by the awarding of diplomas to the certified schools present.

The event concluded with a showcase of educational resources from various organizations in the Canary Islands, including the Government of the Canary Islands (the Ministry of Education and the Directorate General of Natural Spaces and Biodiversity), Las Palmas City of the Sea, the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the Gran Canaria Island Council, Oceanográfica, and PLOCAN itself.

The more than 50 attendees at the event left with new ideas, inspiration and great enthusiasm to continue working towards incorporating the sea into the curriculum of their educational centers, which will soon expand the network of blue schools in the Canary Islands.

Media Reports:

• atlanticohoy.com: PDF version here
• Telde Habla: PDF version here
• tellkes.com: PDF version here