A look back at the 3rd edition of the SCORE Training School

The third edition of the SCORE Climate Adaptation training school took place in February and March 2025.

The SCORE Climate Adaptation Training school is open to the general public with a focus on local communities. The aim is to empower communities with knowledge and practical tools from the project and thus foster the creation of new skills in the Coastal City Living Labs (CCLL).

For each CCLL, the SCORE training school was structured around three main events: an online lecture, geodesign games sessions, and local activities.

 

Online lecture on Legacy and Innovation in Coastal Climate Adaptation

The SCORE Project Coordinator, Salem Gharbia (ATU Sligo), launched the training school with an introduction to the SCORE’s approach to climate adaptation, followed by a presentation of SCORE legacy and innovative approaches to coastal climate adaptation by Koen Vervoort (ENoLL) and Charmae Pyl Wissink-Nercua (IHS). The participants were then split into 7 parallel sessions according to their language preference and location, in which speakers presented different topics related to nature-based solutions, ecosystem-based adaptation, citizen science, and smart cities:

You can find the presentations in different languages here!

 

Geodesign Games Sessions

In each CCLL, Geodesign game were organised, allowing participants to simulate urban planning scenarios and to take on various roles to collaborate on Ecosystem-Based Approaches implementation strategies.

These sessions brought together mixed audiences, from students to local stakeholders, to collaboratively identify local risks such as flooding, erosion, or biodiversity loss, and propose ecosystem-based adaptation strategies. Among the most popular solutions suggested were afforestation, floodable parks, infiltration ponds, and riparian reforestation.

Local activities in the Coastal City Living Labs

For their local activities, each CCLL designed their own programme filled with citizen-engagement activities. Each activity was specifically tailored to its public and focused on educating and empowering local communities. In total, around 1,650 people took part in the local events on Day 3.

Some highlights from our CCLLs

Oeiras: Policy brief on extreme weather events

A policy brief on exceptional rainfall and temperature events in Portugal was shared with academic and municipal stakeholders. It highlights four decades of increasing extreme weather and provides recommendations for climate adaptation and resilience.

Benidorm: Raising the awareness of high school students about nature-based solutions 

As part of the Quiero ser ingeniera project, a citizen science session at the University of Alicante invited high school students to discover SCORE’s low-cost sensors and nature-based solutions for coastal resilience. The event gathered over 400 participants!

Dublin: How digital tools and community involvement can go hand-in-hand to tackle climate challenges

Two events invited the community to explore climate issues through VR experiences and a citizen-led coastal monitoring PhotoBooth. Together, they showcased how digital tools and local action can support climate awareness.

Gdansk: Exploring the secrets of climate and urban flash floods

The SCORE team organised a series of weather workshops for children where they explored together the secrets of climate and urban flash floods in Gdansk.

Massa: The experience of the Living Lab of Massa

Discover our dedicated news on the local stakeholders and citizens event here!

Vilanova i la Geltrú: Joining forces for coastal climate action

Regional stakeholders met to share ongoing projects on coastal and marine issues and discuss future collaborations. The meeting concluded with a joint commitment to draft an official agreement supporting climate initiatives along the Garraf coastline.

Samsun: Raising eco-awareness on Children’s Day

To mark National Children’s Day on 23 April, a festival was held in Samsun with local schools, NGOs, and the municipality. Children took part in games and workshops to learn about nature, environmental protection, and climate change.

Piran: Engaging stakeholders and youth in climate and heritage

Two events brought together local stakeholders and students to discuss cultural heritage and climate action. The first was a stakeholder meeting focused on traditional architecture and environmental management, and the second combined a climate lecture with a heritage walk for international students

Sligo: Introducing the CoastSnap Photobooth 

An in-person event at Enniscrone Beach introduced the community to the newly installed CoastSnap Photobooth, with demonstrations on how it supports citizen-led coastal monitoring.

 

For those interested in exploring the full programme and details of the sessions, you can find all the information here!