Project Assistant：CHEN,KE-LEI

　　At the Marine Education Promotion Achievements of Special Municipalities, Cities, and Counties in the 2022–2023 Academic Year event hosted by the Ministry of Education, New Taipei City, Tainan City, and Keelung City won the Outstanding Award; Taipei City, Kaohsiung City, Pingtung County, Hsinchu City, and Penghu County won the Excellence Award; and Taipei City, Nantou County, and Yunlin County won the Marine Spirit Award.

　　To assess marine education promotion achievements, “online platform,” “printed media achievements,” and “display of special municipality/city/county promotion and education achievements” were selected as the assessment criteria. Five reviewers were invited to grade the criteria “online platform” and “printed media achievements.At the 2023 National Marine Education Achievement Observation and Teacher Training Conference held at Taipei Municipal Changan Elementary School from August 16 to 18, 2023, various local government representatives presented to the five reviewers their respective region’s achievements in promoting marine education. This presentation was part of the grading process for the criterion “display of special municipality/city/county promotion and education achievements.

　　New Taipei City introduced “The Journeys of Youth,” an outdoor learning guide that introduces various venues as well as new and fascinating outdoor learning routes, such as the Xindian–Wulai Route and Ruifang–Gongliao Route. The guide enables travelers to explore and challenge themselves through game-like experiences. Tainan City developed unique teaching materials for schools situated at a distance from the coast, such as the Eat Good Food Slowly and Achieve Marine Sustainability course, which helps students to become closer to the oceans and to connect with the world. The teaching materials also facilitate the robust development of professional teacher communities. Keelung City maintained its excellent performance in the past years, employing digital technology to implement marine education and learning. Additionally, it organized the 2023 Marine Education Creative Young News Anchor: Marine Occupation-related Reporting Competition, a creative competition that fully integrated private sector resources and allowed students to understand local characteristics by making on-site visits and participating in marine activities.

　　The Marine Spirit Award, a special award given out this year, encourages cities and counties to actively innovate, achieve breakthroughs, and work toward interdisciplinary integration. For example, Taipei City developed the Metaverse Web VR Tamsui River Course and Marine Angel Project, enabling special education students to participate in marine education activities. Nantou County produced impressive results by successfully integrating outdoor and marine education and working closely with local  and industries. Yunlin County developed a strategic alliance that encouraged collaboration among local and nonlocal organizations and private groups to open courses such as the Yunlin Tilapia Citizen course, enabling students to understand the ecological operations of local industries.