SeaWeek Australia 2nd -10th March

What is SeaWeek?

SeaWeek is Australia’s major national public awareness campaign to focus community awareness, provide information and encourage an appreciation of the sea. SeaWeek gives us a fantastic opportunity to promote educational issues of relevance to the marine environment. SeaWeek events are organised and run by environmental and marine educators across the country.

View from airplane over Great Barrier Reef where tidal channel separates Hardy and Hook Reef.

Australia is a marine nation. We have one of the largest ocean territories in the world, and it drives our climate and weather, generates employment, provides food and resources, and offers lifestyle and recreational opportunities (source CSIRO).

Between 1988 and 2014, ‘Sea Week’ was the Marine Education Society of Australasia’s (MESA) major national public awareness campaign. With the recent closing of MESA, the co-ordination of the newly named ‘SeaWeek’ is now with AAEE and is the AAEE Marine Educators (AAEEME) a Special Interest Group.

Ocean Literacy frame SeaWeek with a focus on understanding the ocean’s influence on you and your influence on the ocean. The 7 Ocean Literacy are ideas international scientists and educators agree everyone should understand about the ocean.

SeaWeek is linked to the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) the “science we need for the ocean we want”. Ocean Decade is coordinated by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC). We are represented on the International Pacific Marine Educators Network (IPMEN) initiated in 2007 by Marine Educators.

SeaWeek collaborates with the 8 Chapters of AAEE, marine educators and centers, marine program providers and community groups that engage with activities with marine, wetlands and contributing landscapes. Resources are offered to schools, webinars for educators and everyone is encouraged to cobrand the activity or event they are providing during the SeaWeek. The AAEE website provides a platform to share all information to encourage participation nationally.