Setting Sail for Resilience and Ocean Sustainability

This paper makes a valuable contribution to the emerging field of marine social sciences by focusing on the potential contribution of learning theory and praxes in promoting Ocean Literacy, Marine Identity and Marine Citizenship. These are advocated as important social dimensions of the changes and outcomes required to promote sustainability and resilience of marine environments and, by extension, terrestrial environments, across a range of scales from local through to planetary. This is because the factors that compromise marine resilience are largely anthropogenic, and negative outcomes of human disassociation from the ocean. From another perspective, the paper is equally concerned with how to promote personal resilience and ocean stewardship as positive personal and social outcomes exhibited by people, especially young people. A synergy is noted between Outdoor Adventurous Education and Inquiry-based Science Learning in marine contexts, with sail training being identified as particularly effective as a marine-oriented experiential learning approach and context. These insights are exemplified through a case study of sail training programmes developed and operated in the United Kingdom. Preliminary findings from trainee questionnaires support the contention that sail training is a powerful vehicle for personal growth across the range of learning dimensions (upward, outward, inward and downward personal growth). Feedback also indicates the development of Ocean Literacy, Marine Identity and Marine Citizenship amongst some participating trainees which, together, promote personal resilience and a commitment to marine stewardship (advocates of, and active agents for promoting ocean sustainability).