A new environmental initiative in Rhodes will engage over 17,000 schoolchildren through workshops, beach clean-ups and marine conservation training. The TUI Junior Academy is a collaboration between the TUI Care Foundation, the Greek organization All For Blue and local authorities – with the aim of creating long-term environmental awareness and strengthening sustainable tourism.
TUI Junior Academy will be launched in May 2025 and will target primary and secondary schools across Rhodes. Like many other Mediterranean islands, Rhodes is struggling with the problem of single-use plastic litter, which often ends up in the sea. The lack of environmental awareness and sustainable alternatives exacerbates the problems. The new educational program will strengthen students’ and teachers’ knowledge of the marine environment, recycling and sustainable tourism through practical activities such as beach clean-ups and art creation with recycled materials.
During the three-year project, TUI Care Foundation, together with All For Blue, engages over 17,000 students and 2,000 teachers in environmental education. A total of 99 schools from across the island are participating. The plastic collected is reused by local artists into artworks that are exhibited in schools and public spaces.
In the initial phase of the project, almost 9,000 students from 47 schools have already participated in the activities. A seminar was held at the Dodecanese Chamber of Commerce where students, researchers and decision-makers discussed the significance of the project and environmental issues. At the same time, artworks created from plastic waste from the beaches of Rhodes were exhibited - where old fishing lines, bottles and plastic bags, among other things, were given a new life.
“I am deeply grateful to the TUI Care Foundation for supporting our mission while giving us the invaluable opportunity to reach countless young students. Exploring the mysteries and wonders of the oceans through education helps preserve their beauty for future generations. By creating partnerships and workshops for children on the subject of the marine environment, we are both educating and inspiring young minds. It is starting a transformative movement that will protect our invaluable marine ecosystems, which in turn creates a brighter future for sustainable tourism in our country and beyond,” says Katerina Topouzoglou, founder of All For Blue.
– At TUI Care Foundation, we believe that education is the key to sustainable development. By giving young people the knowledge and tools to protect their environment, we support future leaders and ensure that Rhodes becomes a role model in sustainable tourism, says Alexander Panczuk, CEO of TUI Care Foundation.
Part of a larger sustainability initiative
TUI Junior Academy Rhodes has been developed within the framework of the Rhodes Co-Lab Sustainable Destination – a collaboration between the South Aegean Region, TUI Group and TUI Care Foundation, in close collaboration with Rhodes. The aim is to transform Rhodes into an international role model for sustainable destination development.
TUI Junior Academy Rhodes is also part of the global TUI Junior Academy education program. Through education, children and young people in vulnerable areas are given new opportunities – both in the Mediterranean and elsewhere. The initiative already exists in Jamaica, South Africa, Turkey and the Dominican Republic.
According to the press release.
