This transnational partner – teachers – pupils meeting took place between the 5^th and the 8^th of May 2022 on the island of Crete, Greece under the hospice of the Greek partner HCMR and the Cretaquarium. A total of 57 persons attended (including 17 pupils and 23 teachers from the four partner countries). The four days combined a diversity of educational activities, but also partner-teacher exchanges and social events.

On the first day, a general introduction and welcome session helped break the ice between participants from the different countries, and the pupils from difference age groups. A general overview of roles and responsibilities was made, particularly on the pupils’ roles as “Blue ambassadors” and “blue reporters”. This session was followed by a guided tour at the Cretaquarium, where the large group was divided into two!The next day, on the 6^th of May, two educational activities were planned: The first one was outdoors on the beach and aimed at teaching pupils about marine life whereby the pupils, teachers and partners collected as many “traces of life” as possible, filling in each their list with their findings. This was a great opportunity for pupils to learn about Posidonia meadows and algae, but also about the different tiny inhabitants of the sea such as crustaceans and mollusks!

The second educational activity took place indoors in the laboratory of the Cretaquarium: Explaining in a simple and fun way the movement of the Ocean’s currents, starting by telling the story of the famous yellow ducks shipment lost in the ocean. This was followed by a series of experiments that highlighted how hot, cold and salty water masses move in the oceans. The last session of this long day was the first part of project presentations. A combination of videos, animations, presentations and games allowed the teachers/ pupils to present their different blue projects. The summary of these projects will be provided in a separate deliverable at later stages of the project.

The third day, on the 7^th of May 2022, the activities started with a guided tour in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, whereby all the marine related heritage and artwork was explained to highlight the strong links between the Greek (and Mediterranean) culture and the sea.In the afternoon, another set of educational activities took place in parallel: One more beach activity to learn about marine litter and its classification, and another laboratory session to learn about plankton through microscope observations.

On the last day, 8^th of May 2022, the pupils were left to work together on their projects, exchange and learn, whereas teachers and project partners sat together for the first time to discuss lingering issues related to management and communication. Important debates took place, but also crucial decisions were made.

The next meeting will be the Transnational Partners Meeting 3, and will take place in Malta, so tune in!