Turning Blue Final Conference: A first look

On June 26, 2026, the Turning Blue project marked its final conference at the Templo da Poesia, in Oeiras, Portugal, bringing together national and international partners, professionals, companies and stakeholders, for a day dedicated to the crossroads between the blue economy, criminal justice, reintegration, employability, and social innovation.
 
The day opened with a welcome address from João Melo, and a TED Talk overview of the project presented by Rita Lourenço and Max ter Beek, followed by an interactive activity, The Fishing Game. Then, participants had the chance to explore the Turning Blue Gallery and join hands-on workshops on employability within the criminal justice system. The afternoon brought a participatory seminar, moderated by Cor Blonk, and a panel discussion on the European challenges and opportunities of reintegration, moderated by Claire Machan, alongside testimonies from young people themselves. The day closed with remarks from project leaders Sandra Cruz and Tiago Leitão, followed by a cocktail dinner featuring live music and products made by young people from Leiria Youth Prison.

Among the many voices that shaped the day were João Melo and Rita Lourenço (Aproximar), Max ter Beek (Click-F1), Cor Blonk (PFA), Claire Machan (IPS – Innovative Prison Systems), Sandra Cruz (Vice-Director-General for Maritime Policy, Portugal), Tiago Leitão (CEO, Aproximar), Ruben Eiras (Secretary General of Forum Oceano), Ioan Durnescu (Professor, University of Bucharest), Marilena Donnaloia (Environmental Biologist at Fondazione Marevivo), Bruno Coutinho ("la Caixa" Foundation), Márcia Passos (Member of the Executive Board at DocaPesca), and Rodrigo Oliveira (Stone Soup Leadership Project).
 
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us in Oeiras and made this day possible. While the final conference marks an important milestone, more updates from the Turning Blue project are on their way.