As part of the initiative, ten students who had never seen the sea and two teachers from four elementary schools in Rongjiang County, Guizhou Province – a mountainous inland region – traveled to Shanghai to participate in a special educational visit to Prada Rong Zhai. Through creative learning and direct interaction, the children experienced the ocean for the first time, gaining awareness of marine ecosystems, environmental challenges, and the importance of ocean protection.

This journey marked the beginning of a two-way educational exchange between inland and coastal regions, from the mountains to the sea, and from the sea back to the mountains. Following the visit, the same four Guizhou schools will receive the “Marine Science Cultural Kit”, enabling the students who attended the Shanghai program to share their experiences with classmates and act as “Ocean Ambassadors” in their local communities.

The “Marine Science Cultural Kit” was jointly developed by the UCCA Foundation and the IOC. Each kit contains a booklet that introduces the wonders of the ocean – its currents, biodiversity, and role in the climate system – presented through engaging questions and illustrations designed to spark curiosity. It also includes the One Ocean Jigsaw Puzzle, based on the Spilhaus projection, which places the ocean at the center of the world map to emphasize its interconnectedness. Children can use marine-species stickers and cut-out figures on the Deep Sea  Map to visualize where different organisms live and better understand their habitats. In addition, the schools will receive a set of “Sea Box” crayons, whose colors are derived from satellite imagery of the world’s waters.

A total of 800 kits will be distributed across the inland provinces of Guizhou and Yunnan beginning in November 2025.

Teachers will be provided with tailored lesson plans to help them integrate ocean-related topics into classroom activities, ensuring that the project’s impact continues in the months to come.

Through this effort, SEA BEYOND continues its mission to promote ocean literacy and sustainability awareness worldwide. By combining the forces of science, art, and education, the program demonstrates how creativity can bridge distances – allowing even those far from the coast to understand, cherish, and protect the ocean that connects us all.

To foster deeper engagement with the local community, a naming contest was launched for the event’s official mascot, a curious and passionate ocean explorer, representing all those who love the ocean.

The public is invited to take part by submitting naming ideas via “Prada Rong Zhai” WeChat Mini Program and voting on Prada Weibo and Red official channels. The contest, currently underway, is generating widespread participation and offers a meaningful opportunity to involve even those who were unable to attend the event in person, encouraging creativity and a shared sense of contribution.

The winning name will be announced on November 6^th on Prada Weibo and Red official channels.

SEA BEYOND is a project by Prada Group conducted in partnership with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO since 2019 to raise awareness of sustainability and ocean preservation, contributing to the progress of ocean education on a global scale through a series of training initiatives for younger generations. Since its debut, the educational program has shared the principles of ocean literacy with more than 35,000 students around the world. Moreover, the “Kindergarten of the Lagoon” project – outdoor education activities for preschool children in Venice – was launched in 2023 to create links between kids and the lagoon ecosystem. While the main focus remains education, SEA BEYOND has recently extended its scope to new areas of focus: support for scientific research, community engagement activities and policy advocacy dedicated to the ocean. The commitment was further reinforced in 2025 with the launch of the SEA BEYOND – Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Connecting People and Ocean, designed to mobilize financial resources from a broad coalition of partners to help restore the relationship between humanity and the ocean.
As of July 2023, 1% of the proceeds from the Prada Re-Nylon for SEA BEYOND Collection benefit SEA BEYOND. The list of products in this Collection is available at www.prada.com.
Through SEA BEYOND, Prada Group has also trained its more than 14,000 employees worldwide on ocean literacy principles via VR educational content and the AWorld app, the official platform selected by the United Nations to live more sustainably.

Prada Group is socially engaged to contribute to the sustainable development of communities and stimulate cultural debate in all its forms of expression. The Group partners with recognized players and international entities to develop educational and training programs, promote talent, support scientific research, foster women’s empowerment, and promote local culture and artistic heritage. Prada Group operates in the luxury sector through the Prada, Miu, Church’s, Car Shoe, Marchesi 1824 and Luna Rossa brands.
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The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO promotes international cooperation in marine sciences to improve management of the ocean, coasts, and marine resources. The IOC enables its 150 Member States to work together by coordinating programmes in capacity development, ocean observations and services, ocean science, tsunami warning, and ocean literacy. The work of the IOC contributes to the mission of UNESCO to promote the advancement of science and its applications to develop knowledge and capacity, key to economic and social progress and the basis of peace and sustainable development. The IOC is the entity in charge of coordinating the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 (The Ocean Decade).