From Community to Classroom: Adapting a Co Creation Framework for Inclusive Marine Education through a Place Based Marine Station

Marine stations are powerful connectors between science, education, and society, offering unique opportunities for place‑based learning and community partnership. This presentation explores how the Dove Marine Laboratory (DML), UK, is adapting a community co‑creation framework for use in schools, supporting inclusive marine education and strengthening young people’s connections to ocean environments and local marine culture.The work forms part of Realising the Marine Heritage of the Dove Marine Laboratory: Engaging and Educating Communities on Sustainable and Healthy Seas, a long‑term initiative that positions DML as an educational and cultural anchor for its region. Central to the project is the Education and Outreach Programme (EOP), which facilitates co‑created marine research projects addressing questions important to local communities, with the aim of empowering participants and fostering environmental stewardship.The programme builds on a five‑phase co‑creation framework originally developed with adult community groups: education and outreach, co‑design, co‑production, action, and co‑evaluation. While effective with adults, its relevance for younger learners had not been tested. We therefore piloted the framework with two contrasting school contexts in Northeast England: a coastal school and an inner‑city school within the top 4% of national deprivation.The pilots highlighted the need for adaptation to support younger participants, address socio‑economic inequalities, and ensure accessibility for neurodivergent learners. We also explored how students’ perceptions of the marine environment and their sense of place shifted through engagement with DML‑led co‑creation activities.Drawing on these findings, we present a redesigned, school‑ready co‑creation framework alongside best‑practice guidance for inclusive delivery. We discuss what worked, what required redesign, and how marine stations can serve as long‑term platforms for experiential learning, cultural engagement, and the development of future ocean‑literate citizens and community leaders.