It is with great pleasure that we announce the three top distinctions that YES Forum has received in the field of education, marking a new era in connecting the younger generation with the shipping community. Through strategic partnerships, innovative initiatives, and meaningful engagement with students and educators across Greece, YES Forum actively contributes to raising young people’s awareness of the shipping industry and the career opportunities it offers.
Below are this year’s most significant developments and distinctions:
Shipping is officially in Greek schools’ curriculum!
Approved by the Institute of Educational Policy, the Shipping course developed by YES Forum has officially been integrated into the Greek school curriculum!
Starting from the new school year, Shipping will be taught as an elective module within the Skills Workshops for 6th Grade of Primary School and 3rd Grade of Junior High School. This is a milestone achievement that transforms the landscape of Greek education, officially integrating one of the most important pillars of the Greek economy into daily school life.
The course consists of seven modules, tailored to each age group: a historical overview of Greek shipping, types of ships, shipbuilding, shipping technology, environmental impacts, professions and careers in the industry, as well as activities to strengthen soft and digital skills, developed in collaboration with Microsoft.
This milestone is the result of years of dedicated efforts and insights gained through the hundreds of YES TOUR TO SCHOOLS presentations: an impressive 90% of students stated that they did not know what shipping is, despite Greece managing 21% of the world fleet and being a global shipping leader.
This educational breakthrough makes shipping accessible and approachable, helping children become familiar with an industry that offers career opportunities, quality of life, and growth prospects. At the same time, it connects schools with the Greek economy, opening new horizons for the younger generation.
This development is not just an educational innovation — it is a substantial step towards the future. It gives young people the chance to discover a sector that can offer them a meaningful career path within Greece, helping to limit brain drain and address low birth rates by empowering the new generation and connecting it with a dynamic industry.
“Destination Sea” in the Top 10 of the Public Book Awards for Children’s Literature
The book “Destination Sea” has secured a place in the Top 10 of the Public Book Awards 2025 in the Children’s Literature category — a distinction that confirms the need for and value of transferring shipping knowledge to young people from an early age.
“Destination Sea” is the first educational children’s book on shipping in Greece, written by Danae Bezantakou and the YES Forum team, and was published in May 2024. Specially designed for children aged 8+, its first edition sold out in less than a year. Today, the book is being republished with renewed momentum, with over 6,000 copies already printed.
The book introduces children to the world of shipping in a friendly, engaging, and fun way, full of illustrations, stories, and real-life examples from the daily life of ships and seafarers. It is not just a book — it is an educational tool that helps young readers become familiar with shipping and envision themselves as part of this vibrant industry.
Additionally, the book’s content has inspired a series of interactive activities implemented by YES Forum, specially designed for children of all ages. Through workshops hosted by shipping companies, employees’ children learn about their parents’ work, discover the role of shipping in everyday life, and develop a positive connection with an industry that is often unfamiliar to them, despite being at the heart of the Greek economy.
These activities not only entertain but also inspire the next generation to explore the career opportunities that the sea has to offer.
Gold Award at the Education Leaders Awards 2025
Category: Outreach, Educational Visits & Experiential Learning in Public Lifelong Education
YES Forum was honored with the Gold Award at the Education Leaders Awards 2025, in one of the most meaningful and competitive categories — Outreach and Experiential Learning — recognizing its longstanding and systematic efforts to bring shipping closer to young people, especially students who had never before had the opportunity to explore this world.
This distinction reflects the reach, consistency, and impact of the YES TOUR TO SCHOOLS initiative and all of YES Forum’s educational activities.
Throughout its journey:
- Hundreds of school visits have taken place in cities across Greece, from Alexandroupoli to Agios Nikolaos in Crete.
- More than 120,000 students have been informed through presentations in schools of all levels.
- 80% of the schools visited had never hosted a professional from the business sector in general.
- At younger ages, children often confuse Shipping (ναυτιλία) with seasickness (ναυτία), indicating a complete lack of contact with such an important sector in our country.
These three new distinctions complement the honorary Lloyd’s Award “Piraeus International Centre”, received by YES Forum in December 2024 — an award recognizing its continuous, multifaceted efforts to bring young people closer to the maritime market.
Through employment opportunities, internships, mentoring, and meaningful engagement with the world of shipping, YES Forum inspires the next generation to discover their potential in an industry that can offer them stability, prospects, and growth.
The ongoing recognition in the field of education demonstrates that the initiatives of YES Forum are not only timely — they are substantial, impactful, and deeply necessary for the future of our country.
We continue with the same dedication to build bridges between the new generation and the shipping community, providing young people with the tools, knowledge, and inspiration to forge their own path in an industry that is a key pillar of the Greek economy and an international power!
