WELCOME!
The Canadian Ocean Literacy Coalition (COLC) is an alliance of organizations, networks, institutions, and communities working together to better understand and advance ocean literacy in Canada.
Fundamentally, ocean literacy is about our relationship with the ocean and all waterways leading to it.
What’s New
- COLC initiates the co-development of a Global Ocean Literacy Research Program for the UN Ocean Decade.
- On World Ocean Day, COLC and the Institute for Environmental Learning at Simon Fraser University, together in collaboration with the Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, published Exploring Relationships and Empowering Action: An Ocean Literacy Reader.
LAND, WATER, OCEAN, US:
A CANADIAN OCEAN LITERACY STRATEGY
The National Strategy was co-developed by Canadians, for Canadians, through an evidence-based and community-driven engagement process in which over 400 organizations and more than 3,000 Canadians participated.
The National Strategy outlines 9 Action Streams that provide a common framework for action over the course of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).
Interact with the Strategy Framework by hovering over different parts of the graphic.
Read the Strategy, Implementation Plan
& National Study reports!
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
JOIN AN ACTION TEAM
Each Action Stream has an Action Team that works closely with COLC’s project office to serve as a coordinated national voice. Teams will include diverse expertise, skills, and capacity from across regions and sectors to ensure leadership, momentum, Canada-wide collaboration, and measured progress.
REGISTER YOUR INITIATIVE ON THE CANADIAN OCEAN ACTION STREAMS TRACKER (C.O.A.S.T.)
C.O.A.S.T. is a tool to track community-led projects and on-the-ground advancement of each of the Action Streams from coast to coast to coast. Initiatives registered on the C.O.A.S.T. will be organized by Action Stream(s) and integrated into evaluating our collective progress during the initial Strategy Implementation Phase (2021-2024) and throughout the rest of the UN Ocean Decade (2025-2030).
CANADIAN OCEAN LITERACY MAP & DATABASE
The Canadian Ocean Literacy Map and Database are designed to connect Canadians to ocean literacy initiatives, programs, events, opportunities, stories, and resources from coast to coast to coast. The platform was built and initially populated using data compiled during the Understanding Ocean Literacy in Canada study (2019-2020). It represents an important resource for Canada’s growing ocean literacy community of practice.
As ocean literacy in Canada is advanced over the course of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), the Map and Database will evolve to reflect this growth.
