DigiBlue Online Exhibition
Stories by youth, young adults and educators.
Welcome to our online exhibition of blue citizenship stories created by youth and young adults who participated in the DigiBlue project. They were invited to create digital stories about blue matters, focusing on topics most relevant to their community and helping them explore their role as blue citizens.
As part of the project, we organised an online DigiBlue DigiEduHack hackathon that helped the youth to lay the groundwork of their stories – what the story is about, who it is for, and what format would work best for the chosen audience.
We are grateful to all participants and remain open to new submissions until the end of January 2026. You can find the project background details and submission instructions at the bottom of the page.
Some of the stories are in Danish. You can find the English transcripts alongside the explanations.
Enjoy the exhibition!
Participants
DigiBlue participants came from many different backgrounds and nationalities. We had youth from secondary school, high school, and universities. We had mentors and educators from academia, research, global organisations, the creative sector and private actors from the blue economy.
We are proud to have mapped the following nationalities across the activities: Danish, Swedish, Polish, Estonian, Finnish, Irish, Indian, German, French, Pakistani, Uzbekistani, Chilean, Romanian, English, Portuguese, Spanish, Greek, Ukrainian and Dutch.
Ikke smid i havet! / Do not litter the sea!
På dansk
En gruppe venner køber noget at drikke. En af vennerne sætter sig ned på havnen og drikker hendes drink. Det ender med at hun smider dåsen i havet.
Lavet af: Selma, Julius, Jørn og Bella
In English
A group of friends buy something to drink. One of the friends sits down at the harbour and drinks her drink. She ends up throwing the can into the sea.
Created by: Selma, Julius, Jørn og Bella
📍Bornholm, Denmark
One Bottle Project
Text added shortly!
Created by: Sohiba, Rayhona, Amirbek and Ghazala
📍Uzbekistan
What does blue citizenship mean to you personally?
To me, blue citizenship means caring for our rivers and oceans by making small everyday choices that keep our water and our planet healthy.
Østersøens sang / A song about the Baltic Sea
På dansk
Digtet er en poetisk fortælling om Østersøens forurening, men også om håb, ansvar og menneskets mulighed for at skabe en bedre fremtid for havet.
Lavet af: Clara, Andrea, Jim, og Oliver.
In English
The poem is a tale about pollution in the Baltic Sea, but also about hope, responsibility and humanity’s ability to create a better future for the sea.
Created by: Clara, Andrea, Jim, and Oliver (14-year-olds).
📍Bornholm, Denmark
Transcript
På dansk
Dybt under bølgen saltede skær hvker østersøen stille nær.
Jeg bærer i liv og tang og sand, men gifsiv langs min rand.
Engang var vandet klart som glas. Fisken sprang et glimt ind pas. Nu driver skygger tungt det spil af menneskets glemte vilje til.
Plast og spildevand går hånd i hånd langs kyst og sten og skær i bånd. Men stadig banker havets hjerte trods sorg, trods år, trods gamle smerte.
Lad os rense løfte låge, give plads til at sove. Lad børn igen ved stranden stå og høre bølgernes sagte nå.
Østersøen kalder mild, men stærk på fælles håb og
ærligt værk. Et hav kan hele, hvis vi vil, og fremtidens begynder her og stil.
In English (auto translated)
Deep beneath the waves, salted edges whisper quietly in the Baltic Sea.
I carry life, seaweed and sand, but poison seeps along my edge.
Once, the water was clear as glass. Fish leapt in a flash of light. Now shadows drift heavily, playing on humanity’s forgotten will.
Plastic and sewage go hand in hand along the coast and rocks and reefs in bands. But still the heart of the sea beats despite sorrow, despite years, despite old pain.
Let us cleanse the promise, make room to sleep. Let children stand by the beach again and hear the gentle reach of the waves.
The Baltic Sea calls gently but strongly for shared hope and
honest work. A sea can heal, if we want it to, and the future begins here and now.
Blue Guardians: Where the Ocean Meets the Heart
“Blue Guardians: Where the Ocean Meets the Heart” is a digital storybook that takes readers on an emotional and educational journey through the life of the ocean. Told through the voices of marine creatures and the ocean itself, the story unfolds across ten chapters—beginning with the ocean’s beauty and ending with its healing and hopeful message for humanity.
Created by: Anju (educator)
📍India
Read more about 'Blue Guardians: Where the Ocean Meets the Heart'
Dr. Anju Gandhi(44) working as PGT Mathematics in state Govt. School of Fatehabad, Haryana, India. She is an enthusiastic educator from Haryana with a strong commitment to creative and digital learning. She holds a Ph.D. in Education from Punjab University, Chandigarh, and M.A. degrees in Mathematics, Education, and Sociology, along with a B.Ed., a Certificate in Vedic Mathematics, UGC-NET in Education and additional qualifications a PG Diploma in translation.
An accomplished educator, researcher, and author, she brings over 17 years of experience in teaching and teacher education. Currently serving as a Post Graduate Teacher (Mathematics) in the Department of School Education, Haryana, Dr. Gandhi has made significant contributions to culturally responsive pedagogy, mathematics education, and educational technology integration. She has presented her work at numerous national and international platforms, published widely, and developed multiple courses under UNESCO-OE4BW projects.
Her innovative teaching practices and dedication to inclusive education have been recognized with awards such as the Adi Acharya Ved Vyas Samman (2024) and the Best Global Narrative Award (2023). She has experience designing innovative teaching resources, leading school activities, and integrating technology into the classroom for teaching mathematics. Passionate about environmental awareness, value education, and student engagement, she uses digital storytelling, OERs, and AI tools to make learning meaningful and relatable for young learners.
Her work reflects her belief that education should inspire action, empathy, and responsible citizenship. She is also associated with UNESCO-OE4BW mentoring program as developer and Mentor from last 5 years.
About the story:
As the chapters progress, readers witness the harmful effects of plastic pollution, chemical waste, ghost nets, oil spills, and biodiversity loss. Through vivid storytelling and relatable characters like turtles, dolphins, corals, and a personified ocean, the book shows how human actions create deep wounds in marine ecosystems.
But the story doesn’t end in despair. It highlights the awakening of human responsibility—volunteers cleaning beaches, rescuing wildlife, restoring coral reefs, and taking action to protect water bodies. The final chapters inspire readers to understand their role as Blue Citizens, reminding them that the ocean’s future is tied to their choices.
Supported by optional VR exploration (OERs), QR-based micro-learning, and the book transforms environmental education into an engaging, interactive, and empathy-driven experience. It aims to touch hearts, spark awareness, and encourage real-world action to protect our blue planet.
Blue citizenship in my life: It means being aware every day of how my actions affect the ocean — using my creativity and communication skills to inspire others to care for our shared blue world.
The Deep-Sea Light Mystery: How Ocean Creatures Use Bioluminescence
This short visual story explores how deep-sea creatures use light to survive in darkness. Through scientific facts and mystery-based narration, it explains the phenomenon of bioluminescence and connects it to ocean awareness and blue citizenship. Designed for mobile viewing, it invites youth to learn science through curiosity and creativity.
👉 Click on the image to view the slideshow.
Created by: Ghazal (educator)
📍Pakistan
Read more about Ghazal
Ghazala Ismaeel, 28, Pakistan, is an educator and lifelong learner who joined the DigiBlue Hackathon out of curiosity and discovered a new passion for science-based storytelling. I enjoy using AI tools, digital visuals, and research to create awareness about our ocean and its hidden life.
Title to be added
På dansk
To be added
Lavet af: to be added
In English
To be added
Created by: To be added
📍Rødvig, Denmark
Transcript
På dansk
To be added
In English (auto translated)
To be added
Improving Ocean Literacy in the Underwater World of Minecraft
Our digital story presents an educational Minecraft-engine game designed to improve ocean literacy among young people. The story follows a post-catastrophe underwater world where a flooded city becomes a learning environment. Through exploration, missions, and interaction with NPC characters, viewers see how marine pollution, plastic waste, overfishing, noise pollution, and ecosystem collapse affect life underwater. The story invites young people to reflect on one message: we depend on the ocean, and the ocean depends on us.
Created by: Nazar, Mario, Sofia, Uljana, Evelina (15-19-year-olds)
📍Estonia
The message I want to share is about how I, the ocean, feel—how human actions like pollution, overfishing, and climate change affect me, but also how much I still give and how much I need care and respect in return.
Ocean
DigiBlue’s mentor wrote this poem inspired by the hackathon context and their engagement with participants. The story presents Mohammed’s poem, his own digital art and voice-over.
Created by: Mohammed
📍Denmark
Join the exhibition!
The online exhibition has not yet closed. You are very welcome to send in your blue citizenship digital story and exhibit it alongside youth from around the world.
Easy steps to get going:
- Explore the free online course for tips and tricks to make your own digital story about blue citizenship. Access here: Digital Storytelling for Blue Citizenship | BonoLab
- Submit your digital story via the link here: https://tally.so/r/dWW1lq
- Reach out to Piret Liv Stern Dahl (piret@bonolab.com) for more info, if needed.
In addition to the online exhibition, there will be pop-up exhibitions at 5 locations: Tallinn, Gdynia, Rødvig, Tejn, and Malmö. These exhibitions will be announced in early 2026. Sign up for BonoLab’s newsletter to receive a notification about it HERE.
About DigiBlue project
Read our earlier blog post with an in-depth description of the project, partners, goals and desired outcomes We’ve Been Funded! | BonoLab
The project ‘Digiblue DigiEduHack’ is implemented by Bonolab with the support of the EU4Ocean Coalition, funded by the European Commission.
Our dear collaborators are Den Levende Fiskerihavn, ivandet, Baltic Living Lab.org, Estonian Business School, Københavns Universitet – University of Copenhagen, Edu Tech Impact, Gdynia Aquarium, Marine Education Center in Malmö, and others.
DigiEduHack #EU4Ocean #Youth4Ocean EUDigitalEducation FutureOfLearning WeRedefineLearning BlueCitizenship DEAP
Part of the content of the ‘Digital Storytelling for Blue Citizenship’ was realised in collaboration with Georgia Holly from SeaVoice and HEY tutor Carlota Nzang in the context of the Global Education Week campaign of the iLEGEND III Joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe: co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe.
The activities organised in the framework of the Global Education Week are the sole responsibility of the implementers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the Council of Europe.
#GlobalEducationWeek #EUDEARProgramme #GEW2025 #iLEGEND
