The future of the world's oceans is a story we are writing together. What if we let those who live by the sea lead us in writing the next chapter?

International Ocean Station

The International Ocean Station is a dream of a future where the race to explore and protect the ocean is in the hands of those who know it best, our island communities.

During a week-long workshop in San Juan, La Union, turtle patrollers and tour guides, surfers and fisherfolk, tourists and Indigenous people, students and elders shared their stories and ideas, hopes and dreams, helping to create a collective vision of what the International Ocean Station could be: a research lab, a community center, a playground, that, like the ocean itself, is free and accessible to all.

While what we created is only a model, it carries a story of hope from the Philippines to the world: although island communities are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis, the most urgent solutions can be found in the ways that they live intimately with the sea.

The Making of the International Ocean Station

The process of co-creating the Ocean Station was broken down into the following parts:

This phase of the project focused on community visits and story gathering.
- Date: Early to mid-October
- Details: The team met and discussed with multiple partner communities to discuss the idea of the IOS and to invite them to share their experiences with the ocean, and to brainstorm on ideas and thoughts about what the ocean station could be like.
- Communities/Organizations partnered with:
  - CURMA
  - ALFARTS
  - Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University - DMMMSU
  - La Union Surf Club
  - LINK
  - YES
  - DOERS
- Date: October 22-23
- Details: Prior to the workshop sessions, the team conducted a trash collecting session with the DOERS of Dalumpinas and other community members to gather waste material to be used for constructing the Ocean Station.
- Attendees: Emerging Islands team, Cesar and family, DOERS of Dalumpinas
- Date: October 23-28, 2024 || 10am - 5pm
- Details:
  - The team held daily workshop sessions with various communities in La Union to gather a diverse range of perspectives and stories to determine the structure for the Ocean Station.
  - Assembly of the Ocean Station was done as a team inspired by the models created by the participants of the workshop sessions
- Attendees - Over 120 people over the course of six days
  - Surfers from San Juan
  - Indigenous People and Tangadan waterfalls tour guides from San Gabriel
  - Fisherfolk Community from Bacnotan
  - Eco-tourism rangers from Bauang Mangroves Eco park
  - Youth from all over La Union
  - Students from local schools/universities
  - Artists from all over the Philippines
  - Activists, professors, and scientists
- Stories from the community dialogues, materials gathering and the construction of the station, were gathered by the team and collaborators, and finalized into a presentation for the community (and as exhibition material)
- The Ocean Station was presented twice:
  - Launch 1
    Date & venue: October 29, 2024|| CURMA turtle center, Ili Norte, San Juan, La Union
    Details: This was a community event to celebrate the creation of the Ocean Station alongside the people who envisioned it
    Attendees: Approx. 60+ people mostly workshop participants and community members
  - Launch 2
    Date & venue: November 21, 2024, 7pm || The Mind Museum, BGC
    Details: This event was the formal launch of the exhibit in the Mind Museum. Our partner organizations (DOERS and DMMMSU) were invited as panelists to share their experience during the building of the Ocean Station.
    Attendees: 70+ people containing media, partner organizations, non-profit organizations, universities