Period
2021 - in progress
Blue Unity, initiated by the Coastal Community Network in Italy, is revolutionising coastal sustainability through digital collaboration. With over 1600 members across the Mediterranean and Africa, this dynamic Facebook group serves as a hub for sharing expertise, project ideas, and scientific insights in the blue economy. Blue Unity’s administration team provides invaluable support for project writing, bridging the gap between innovative ideas and funding opportunities. Through curated content and collaborative sessions, the network fosters knowledge exchange and action-oriented collaboration, catalysing tangible change in coastal communities. Despite challenges such as limited internet infrastructure, Blue Unity remains committed to fostering inclusive, cooperative solutions for a sustainable future. Join Blue Unity to unlock the collective potential of coastal sustainability.
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Identification needs
The Coastal Community Network is a Facebook group dedicated to people living in coastal areas around the Mediterranean and Africa. The group aims to share the best project ideas and solutions for different sectors related to the blue economy. Our administration team also assists with project writing for ideas proposed by group members. Our project faces economic constraints that make it difficult to support ideas, even on a small scale. We need the opportunity to co-found projects in line with the details of the call for proposals to secure more funds.
Stakeholder change
The group works through the Facebook platform by sharing scientific articles, successful project implementations, interviews with experts to share their experiences, round tables between experts, and joint working groups to write projects. The group has more than 1600 members, mostly living in coastal areas, but also includes experts from different fields such as entrepreneurs, associations, professors, and experts.
Change triggered
Our practice is transferable. The group's main goal is to share experiences between countries. Members have contacted us to invite experts in different fields to give their expertise on specific topics such as shrimp aquaculture, plastic pollution, and waste treatment from fish processing. This type of knowledge sharing has been helpful for our members because they find solutions and adopt them in their work. One problem we face is poor internet infrastructure, especially for members living in African regions where the connection is not very good.
Short description
The practice is technically feasible. As administration staff, our goal is to facilitate networking between members and turn their ideas into action by writing projects in blue economy and applying for funds. It is recommended to prioritize networking and effective communication to ensure progress in all fields of interest. My favourite quote is 'Competition is the law of the jungle, but cooperation is the law of civilization.' I strongly advise following this principle.
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