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Our strategic direction

Rooted in Gorée. Connected to the future.

Connect climate action, heritage, human rights and education to strengthen the resilience of island and coastal communities in West Africa.

Our approach

Experience becomes a source of change.

Educate

Understand connections between climate, nature, memory and rights.

Act

Experiment with children, residents and partners.

Document

Observe, record and learn from experience.

Advocate

Bring local realities into dialogue and support fair responses.

01 · Governance and institutional development 02 · Climate, environment and energy transition 03 · Heritage, memory and identity 04 · Human rights, peace and environmental justice 05 · Education, research and innovation 06 · Monitoring, evaluation and shared learning

Strategic axis 1

Governance and institutional development

Clear responsibilities, shared tools and strong partnerships give field initiatives a coherent framework. The Centre’s development serves communities and the quality of its work.

Initial priorities

Clarify roles, coordination and operating procedures.
Strengthen administrative tools, communication and partnerships.
Involve community representatives in preparing and monitoring activities.

The change we seek

A structured, responsive and accountable association that communities and partners can rely on.

Institutional development and strengthening

Strategic axis 2

Climate, environment and energy transition

In Gorée, waste, plastic pollution, biodiversity, soils and resources belong to the same ecosystem. GOCEAN prioritises practical action, documented experiments and solutions suited to island conditions.

Initial priorities

Connect clean-ups, single-use plastic reduction, sorting and reuse with available waste-management channels.
Develop sowing, cuttings, learning gardens and continuing plant care.
Prepare biodiversity monitoring and useful studies on waste and energy.

The change we seek

More resource-conscious practices and better cared-for spaces, supported by local knowledge to inform future projects.

A cleaner, greener Gorée One child, one tree Gorée Coastal & Marine Biodiversity Watch

Strategic axis 3

Heritage, memory and identity

Protecting Gorée means caring for its places of memory, living heritage and the communities that sustain them. Cultural transmission and environmental understanding reinforce each other.

Initial priorities

Prepare Memory and Nature trails and workshops combining history, culture and ecology.
Encourage dialogue between young people, residents, elders and heritage practitioners.
Document the vulnerability of places with relevant experts before considering interventions.

The change we seek

Heritage that is better understood, passed on and considered in responses to environmental challenges.

Living heritage & memory

Strategic axis 4

Human rights, peace and environmental justice

Responses to ecological crises must consider residents’ dignity, rights and vulnerabilities. GOCEAN connects information, observation and dialogue to support informed and peaceful civic participation.

Initial priorities

Hold accessible workshops on environmental rights and citizenship.
Support community representatives, especially women, young people and neighbourhood organisations.
Gather local observations and priorities to inform dialogue and advocacy.

The change we seek

Better-informed residents with a stronger role in decisions affecting their living environment.

Community climate justice

Strategic axis 5

Education, research and innovation

Education runs through GOCEAN’s work. Observation, citizen science, creativity and critical thinking connect knowledge with the everyday lives of children and families.

Initial priorities

Structure the Young Sentinels and Climate, Environment and Heritage School learning pathways.
Combine documentaries, discussions, field visits, experiments and learning journals.
Build connections between educators, researchers and community knowledge.

The change we seek

Curious young people able to understand their environment, experiment and share what they learn.

Gorée’s Young Sentinels The Climate, Environment & Heritage School Research, monitoring and shared learning

Strategic axis 6

Monitoring, evaluation and shared learning

Achievements, difficulties and adjustments all provide useful knowledge. GOCEAN seeks to record and share these lessons to improve its programmes and account for its work.

Initial priorities

Set up simple tools for activity monitoring and field observation.
Gather feedback from children, families, volunteers and partners.
Turn lessons into reviews, learning resources and field reports.

The change we seek

Better-documented action and lessons that can be shared with other island and coastal territories.

Research, monitoring and shared learning Institutional development and strengthening

Phase 1 · Foundations and first programmes

Learn together. Act here. Make it last.

The initial phase builds the Centre’s foundations and connects education with practical community activities in Gorée. Programmes develop progressively, through field learning and partnerships.

Education & youth

Gorée’s Young Sentinels

Initial activities underway

Support children and young people in observing their island, caring for nature and sharing what they learn with families and peers.

The programme Education & youth

The Climate, Environment & Heritage School

Learning pathway in development

Offer preteens and teenagers a sustained learning framework to understand climate challenges and build critical thinking and initiative.

The programme Climate & environment

One child, one tree

Pilot work and initial activities

Rebuild a lasting connection with life cycles: grow a plant, understand its needs and care for it over time.

The programme Climate & environment

A cleaner, greener Gorée

Initial activities underway

Move from occasional mobilisation towards a shared culture of waste prevention, cleanliness and care for common spaces.

The programme

The shared foundation

A Centre equipped to support its commitments.

Governance, coordination, working tools and partnerships support the programmes. Monitoring and shared learning help improve them and prepare their continuation.

Discover this foundation

All programmes and developing strands

From local learning to shared knowledge

Gorée as a starting point. The coast as a shared horizon.

The first programmes help test and improve an approach rooted in community realities. Consolidating partnerships and documenting lessons will prepare later cooperation with other island and coastal territories. This is a direction for development, built progressively with the communities concerned.

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