Forum Blue School
Forum Blue School (FBS) is a non-profit association established at Porto, Portugal in 2015, by about 20 associated large experienced experts from education and environment to strategic and maritime issues. Among the founders associated we find responsible for the two largest studies published in Portugal on ocean affairs, national strategy for the oceans and on the economy of the sea, respectively: Relatório da Comissão Estratégica dos Oceanos (2004) and Hypercluster da Economia do Mar (2009).
The main purpose of its action is to build Maritime Awareness (MA) in peoples, in leaders of various human activities and in the governments, with special focus in Portugal. Note that sea matters require holistic and global vision, even if seemingly simple or unambiguous.
So, we define MARITIME AWARENESS, as the understanding of the value of the ocean, both holistic (because it concerns all areas of knowledge) and global (because it concerns the whole planet), as well as being able to use that knowledge to reinforce that same value, especially in the environmental, security, scientific, economic, cultural and social development dimensions.
Ocean Literacy or Maritime Culture are the beginning, but they are not enough. MA is more complex and complete and the only one able to respond to the modern challenges that oceans bring to people, organizations and governments. The leaders of various human activities and governments, when they are called to decide any matter with relevance, need to have more knowledge and skills. The knowledge must be Holistic and Global and should be acquired and applied through the Strategy as skill. In fact, Strategy becomes a main skill, necessary for decision-making.
FBS encourages and supports the construction of Maritime Awareness through programs primarily aimed at schools, high schools and universities. The Blue School programs, based on acquiring ocean literacy and maritime experience, further develop on top of these thematic axes a third axis, focused on the global vision and introducing to strategic culture, which is and will be increasingly more essential for students, professionals and leaders.
FBS is associated to Forum Oceano (manager of Portuguese Blue Economy Cluster) since 2015.
