Getting the people on board

A region-wide public awareness and education campaign has been an important ReMLit Project component. Driven by the slogan “Tackling Ocean Pollution from Turf to Surf, the campaign aimed to raise awareness of the importance and value of the oceans, marine ecosystems and resources across all sectors within the OECS; address the root causes of marine litter through, educate on the blue economy agenda, promote circular economy principles, and encourage best practices at the individual, family and community levels.

Using the participatory approach, the Campaign sought the support of popular OECS entertainment sector influencers from the six Focal Member States to bring the message of about the state of marine pollution in the OECS, the interconnectedness of our marine environment and the need for personal and sectoral action and responsibility. The outcome thus far is a well-received song and music video – More Than Just Islands.

Incentivized Challenges were issued to OECS Journalists and aspiring singers, to use their training and natural talents to place the issue of marine pollution at the forefront of social discourses. Thus, another notable output of the Campaign was a Clean Oceans Deep Dive learning forum for OECS journalists providing a comprehensive orientation about the Project, the issues and the imperatives. Close to 30 OECS journalists participated. Further situating people as champions of change is an upcoming video series saluting a range of every-day Clean Ocean Champions from across the Member States. The OECS Clean Ocean Champion series will be rolled-out on Social media to commemorate World Oceans Day 2022.

A three-month radio and television messaging campaign across the six Participating Member States complemented these activities.