YOLA (Youth Ocean Leadership and Advocacy) explored innovative approaches to ocean communication through the workshop Sense the Sea: Multi-Sensory Maritime Communication, held on 3 September during the CommOCEAN EMB 2026 conference in Bergen, Norway.

Facilitated by Izabela Kotyńska-Zielińska of Today We Have and Ula Zerek of Nature of Us, the workshop brought together 27 participants from 11 countries to explore how sensory experiences, art and movement can complement scientific knowledge and strengthen ocean literacy.

The workshop addressed “water blindness”, the tendency to overlook the importance of water and our everyday dependence on aquatic environments. Rather than focusing solely on scientific information and facts, participants were invited to explore their relationship with the ocean through a series of sensory activities.

At the Water Bar, participants tasted water from different seas to explore variations in salinity and composition. Other activities focused on listening to marine soundscapes, exploring salt and water-related materials through touch and smell, and using breathing and movement to express qualities associated with water, such as waves, tides and flow.

The workshop concluded with a collective creative exercise in which participants shared their responses to the question, “What does the ocean mean to you?” Their reflections inspired a movement improvisation, bringing together individual experiences and perspectives through non-verbal expression.

The workshop demonstrated how creative and sensory approaches can complement traditional science communication by encouraging curiosity, emotional engagement and personal connections with the marine environment.

These methods are relevant to YOLA’s work to strengthen the ocean leadership, advocacy and communication skills of young people aged 18–30. They offer practical approaches that can be used in ocean education, public awareness activities and advocacy initiatives to engage audiences in ocean protection.

YOLA is led by Nausicaá in collaboration with EurOcean, Ghent University’s Marine Training Unit, the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IO PAN) and Today We Have. The project is co-funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme.