Launch Weekend at Escuela del Océano Pichilemu
Expanding ocean education and building community at the first Parley AIR Station in Chile
To create global change, focus on community. For the past several years, Parley Chile has worked in collaboration with both local and global initiatives with the goal of organizing cleanups and increasing access to ocean education throughout the coastal country. Now, we’ve entered a new era, multiplying our impact in Pichilemu with the Parley AIR Station and its flagship program, Escuela del Océano.
In March 2024, we officially launched Escuela del Océano in collaboration with Fundación Rompientes, Fundacion Mar Adentro, big wave surfer Ramón Navarro and the Parley Chile crew to inspire and empower a new generation of ambassadors for the oceans. The program will bring local stakeholders and citizens together through initiatives that prioritize youth education and community engagement in environmental solutions.
Around the world, each Parley AIR Station provides a community collaboration hub and a free space for all to participate in ocean awareness, exploration and activism. The Escuela del Océano in Pichilemu is built from repurposed modular shipping container systems and located near the main beach, next to petrels’ protected urban wetland. The space celebrates the local community —ambassadors, youth, artists, cuisine — bringing everyone together to share their passion and knowledge for the oceans through a multidisciplinary approach. As the community comes together, the impact grows.
During launch weekend, Parley invited the town of Pichilemu to gather, celebrate the oceans, learn about Parley, and dive into the work ahead.
On opening night, visitors watched a short documentary about Parley Chile from our series, The Air We Breathe, and explored the new community hub. Exhibited artworks included stunning ocean photography by Eduardo Sorenson and Rodrigo Farias Moreno, who’s been at the helm of Parley Chile since 2018, and surfboards painted by Jose Nacho Vargas. Local youth planted a Peumo (Cryptocarya alba), a native tree, and an evening Sunset Session concluded the festivities with live music from Casa Calma, local and cultural food and drink (with a focus on local seaweed) from Mareal and Maxa Kombucha, and a Parley panel of speakers celebrating what community collaboration, education, and a love for the oceans can achieve.
“I think this has been the project that has fulfilled me the most and it is only the beginning. Having a place to provide free education and awareness of our oceans aligns with the objectives that I have always set for myself as a person, but it is more important here because I have the support of organizations that fight for the conservation and protection of our oceans and now we have a physical place where we can show our work and collaborate in the search for solutions. I hope to see more Escuela del Océanos in the coming years.”
Rodrigo Farias Moreno, Parley Chile Country Manager
“Learning in nature — in this case, around the sea — is fundamental to live relevant experiences that remain in the memory, stimulate actions that protect the environment, and enhance the physical and mental health of children. The educational talks, field trips to explore marine biodiversity and the coastal cleanup activities carried out by the Escuela del Océano Pichilemu, at the same time, are activities that strengthen the link between the communities and the ecosystems they are part of. It is very important to encourage this sensitive link with the ocean in a collective way, to become part of the wellbeing that inhabits the waters that flow and nourish the planet.”
Madeline Hurtado, executive president of Fundación Mar Adentro
thank you to our partners for the support:
Fundación Rompientes
Fundacion Mar Adentro
Ministerio de Bienes Nacionales
Delegacion Provincial Cardenal Caro
Municipalidad de Pichilemu
Sinthesi | Blue
Energy Fin Tech
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