MSC partnering with UNWTO to launch educational Youth Lab on board MSC Euribia

The programme called ‘Next: A Sustainable Future for Our Next Generations’ has been designed by MSC Foundation in close partnership with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to deliver two hours daily of activities connected with sustainability on board the ship. These have teamed up with MSC Cruises Youth Entertainment Division to launch the venue and programme. 

Follows on from first Global Youth Tourism Summit 

The initiative builds on last year’s collaboration between the UNWTO and the MSC Foundation to introduce the first Global Youth Tourism Summit held over seven days in Sorrento. 

‘We are proud to build on the tremendous success of the Global Youth Tourism Summit in Sorrento by extending our partnership with UNWTO to promote youth empowerment and sustainability education,’ explained Daniela Picco, executive director, MSC Foundation. 

‘The new MSC Foundation Lab on MSC Euribia will offer an innovative venue for children and teenagers to engage in sustainability-focused activities.’ 

She stated that the custom-designed programme ‘has been specially conceived to empower young people to learn, create, and express themselves while addressing key sustainability issues such as marine conservation, climate change and responsible tourism.’ 

Picco went on to say that ‘By making our young guests the centre of these activities, we aim to raise awareness of the challenges facing humanity and equip our next generations with the tools they need to create a better world.’ 

Range of activities 

The two hours of activities will cover areas such as ocean health, recycling, climate change, sustainable tourism and social media, all focused on the ‘sustainability challenge.’ The activities have been conceived to leave the youngsters free to learn, create and express themselves according to their interests. 

Matteo Mancini, MSC Cruises’ senior manager kids entertainment, said, ‘For MSC Cruises, keeping the younger generations entertained on a cruise means listening to them and taking real note of their interests and wishes. 

‘Last summer, during the Global Youth Tourism Summit, young people from all over the world also asked us for the space and time to discuss these topics on board our ships. We welcomed their request, believing it our duty to join with Gen Z youth to create a high-impact edutainment, creation and sharing programme with the power to generate concrete results. 

‘It is an immense honour for us to join with UNWTO to achieve this, bringing the young people on our ships the latest information and powerful resources to build a sustainable future.’ 

Some 700 square metres of interior space aboard MSC Euribia will be dedicated to kids and teens, including areas focussed on the environment and technology.