Members of the RethinkBlue COST Action’s mentorship programme gathered this week in Athens for a two-day workshop hosted by the Department of Port Management and Shipping (PMS) of the School of Economics and Political Science at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA).
The workshop was an important step in the development of the mentorship program’s forthcoming open-access book, featuring chapters written by an interdisciplinary group of early-career researchers. The book aims to showcase the work of emerging scholars researching the many challenges shaping marine and coastal spaces, while also demonstrating tools for achieving a sustainable Blue Economy.
On the first day of the workshop, authors were divided into two discussion groups. Each author’s chapter was reviewed by two peers, two editors, and a senior scholar working on the Blue Economy. In addition, to facilitate the informed group discussions, chapters were read prior to the workshop by all group members. The in-person presentation of feedback created an opportunity for lively and constructive discussions of each chapter.
The second day focused on exploring the collective identity of the book. In smaller groups, participants discussed key underlying themes and connections between their chapters, contributing to a collaborative space for co-creating a coherent narrative for the book with many creative ideas for a title.
The program also involved group visits to the Acropolis Museum and the Parthenon, which allowed participants to network and interact outside of the workshop environment. Both workshop participants and organisers leave Athens brimming with new ideas and fresh perspectives.
