CWSS's partnership with Oris supports WattenMeerCamp 2022

As part of the partnership between the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat (CWSS) and Swiss watch manufacturer Oris, the collaboration’s annual event themed “Change for the better” will take place in Harlesiel, Lower Saxony, in mid-August. The event starts with a children's camp from 15 to 20 August. The kids will present their experience to a group of Oris stakeholders, who will have their own programme on the adjacent weekend. The week is organised by CWSS’s local partners grün&bunt and Waddensea.travel.

At the WattenMeerCamp 2022, 25 children will explore their Wadden Sea Region with all senses, learn about it, and enjoy and experience it as a valuable part of their living environment. They will also be provided space to develop ideas about what they can do to protect it. “We want to engage & inspire young people in our programmes with the aim to build relationships with nature”, says Conny Perschmann from grün&bunt, National Park Partner and experienced provider of environmental education to children. “We want to show them that they have the power to make a difference and ensure a more sustainable future. They will take what they have learned back to their family and friends and inspire others to embrace changing habits to help protect a natural wonder they call home.”

On the weekend, the children will meet with invited guests of Oris, who will have a programme of experiencing and learning about the Wadden Sea World Heritage themselves, provided by National Park Partner Waddensea.Travel. As exchange between young and old, the children will show what they have learned during camp to Oris’ guests. “Protection will soon be in the hands of today's children. Oris aims to inspire the next generation in conservation by supporting opportunities like the WattenMeerCamp 2022 in Harlesiel” says Sven Mostögl from Oris.

The CWSS-Oris partnership, which saw the launch of the Dat Watt watch in May 2021, is a part of a series of watches which Oris have produced with the aim of celebrating our marine heritage and while also highlighting the importance of the conservation of our oceans. Over the past decade, Oris has worked with non-profit environmental organisations and clean-up movements all over the world, so the collaboration with the Wadden Sea, a marine World Heritage Site, was a natural fit.

Parts of the proceeds from the sale of the Dat Watt watch and the attention from the events will also go towards supporting the trilateral education programme, the International Wadden Sea School, which has worked with educators and interpreters in the three Wadden Sea nations for nearly 20 years, to improve knowledge and understanding about the Site among children and young people.

Another event is planned in 2023 in Denmark, also with a focus on change for the better, education and marine conservation.