Young Citizens' Council for the Ocean
A project by Nina Dietz and Jan Feuring, founders of Blue Citizen e.V.
We all live on the Blue Planet. Being a Blue Citizen is our identity and our shared responsibility — sustained by the tides connecting us across the globe.
The Young Citizens' Council for the Ocean is a youth-led initiative that reimagines what citizenship means in an ocean-connected world. While the project began in a European context, its horizon is cosmopolitan: there is only one ocean, and it connects us all.
Through knowledge (to understand), culture (to feel), and governance (to act), we developed the Blue Citizen Compass — a framework that links values, education, and policy proposals to strengthen meaningful participation in ocean governance.
But what is a Blue Citizen?
A Blue Citizen recognizes that citizenship is more than belonging — it is responsibility for our shared ocean and the right to actively shape the political decisions that affect it.
Explore our currents to discover:
- the definition young people developed,
- the principles and policy recommendations of the Compass,
- educational resources on Blue Citizenship,
- and ways to take part.
The Council highlights the visionary and innovative perspectives of young people — not because they are “the leaders of tomorrow,” but because they are already political actors today. Their imagination and sense of intergenerational justice help open new pathways toward sustainable ocean futures.
Yet Blue Citizenship is not limited to one generation or one region. It is an open invitation: anyone who cares for the ocean and believes in shared democratic responsibility can be a Blue Citizen.
There is only one ocean.
Be a Blue Citizen.
Blue Citizen Shorts
Get to know the people, ideas, and stories behind Blue Citizen through our short videos on Instagram (@beabluecitizen) and YouTube. Follow our journey as we explore what it means to take citizenship seriously in the context of our shared, life-sustaining ocean. Blue Citizen envisions a more cosmopolitan and participatory relationship with the ocean — one grounded in responsibility, dialogue, and collective stewardship across borders and generations.
Watch more videos on Our Videos page
Our Partners
Blue Citizen e.V. is an official partner of the German Committee for the UN Decade of Ocean Science (ODK for short), one of 40 national committees worldwide that support the implementation of the Decade of Ocean Science in their countries. We are also official partners of The Blue Thread - a global network by UNESCO-IOC and Prada Group uniting those who promote ocean literacy, sustainability, and the principles of the Venice Declaration.
