Team 1: Dramatic monologue from a river in Romania

Semih Ötken

Students:azra bilsem , aysu bilsem, elif bilsem, kadircanbilsem

Cristina Dumitrache

Students:

Aurora Guimarães

Students:Teresa Gusmão, Carlina Martinho, Zi Dong, Tatiana Sousa

I am the Danube River.

For thousands of years, I have been crossing Europe, flowing through countries, cities, and villages. I have heard many different languages and met millions of people, yet I continue to flow, without ever stopping.

I was born in the Black Forest, small and silent, among trees and mountains. At the beginning of my journey, I was just a calm little stream. But along the way, I grew stronger. I received waters from other rivers, discovered forests, ancient castles, and great capitals full of light and movement.

During the day, I watch boats sailing across me. At night, I see the stars reflected in my waters. I also know many animals: fish, rare birds, and plants that live along my banks and depend on me to survive.

But not everything is perfect…

Over the years, I have started to feel tired. Some people have forgotten to take care of me. Trash has appeared in my waters, pollution has increased, and many living creatures are in danger. Sometimes I ask myself:

“Do humans still remember that water is life?”

That is when I heard about you.
 Young people from different countries, united by the Aquaskills project, learning how to protect rivers, seas, and oceans. When I heard your voices, I felt hope again.

Now I want to continue my journey with you.

Each school can tell a new part of my story. You may describe the cities I pass through in your country, the animals you find near me, the legends you have heard about my waters, or even the problems we face today because of pollution and climate change.

I still have much to discover before I reach the Black Sea.

And perhaps, with your help, I can remain clean, strong, and full of life for many years to come.

When your voices first reached my waters, it felt as if a warm breeze had passed over my tired waves. For a long time, I felt lonely and forgotten under the weight of plastic and pollution. But the young hearts of the Aquaskills project reminded me of something I had almost lost: hope. You proved to me that water is indeed life, and that you still care.

With this newfound strength, my current carried me into your countries and cities. As I flowed past your schools, I looked up and saw a beautiful change. I saw children organizing clean-up days along my banks, creating colorful posters about water conservation, and teaching adults how to protect our oceans, seas, and rivers. Every time you pick up a piece of trash or save a drop of clean water, you are giving me a priceless gift.

Thanks to you, the fish in my depths are swimming with joy once again, and the rare birds nesting in my reeds are singing safer songs.

 We are fighting the gray clouds of climate change together, turning them into bright shades of blue and green.

My journey to the Black Sea is no longer a lonely one. I am no longer just a river passing through Europe; I am a bridge connecting conscious young minds. My waters are becoming clearer, my flow is growing stronger, and it is all because we are writing this beautiful next chapter together.

2. Takım: Portekiz'deki bir nehirden dramatik monolog

Şeyma Yeşil

Öğrenciler: Berkay Güven, Bennu Okur, Arda Kıvrak

Helena Silva

Öğrenciler: Diogo Costa; Simão Tavares; Mafalda Vidal; Ana Luísa Freitas.

Tamara Urbančič

Öğrenciler:

I am the Rio Ave, and today I want to tell you my story.

I was born in the mountains of the Serra da Cabreira, where the water is fresh, pure, and crystal-clear. At the start of my journey, I flowed calmly among rocks, trees, and small nature trails. Only the sound of birds and the wind kept my waters company.

As I grew, I encountered villages, bridges, and cities full of life. Many people have come to me over the years. Some fished along my banks, others used my waters for work, and many children played near me on hot summer days.

I love to travel.

As I make my way through northern Portugal, I see green landscapes, farmlands, and people who still respect nature. But I also know places where my waters have suffered from pollution and the trash left behind by humans.

There were times when I felt sad and weak. The fish disappeared from some areas, and my waters were no longer as clean as they used to be. I often wondered if anyone would still hear the voice of a river.

I love to travel.

As I make my way through northern Portugal, I see green landscapes, farmlands, and people who still respect nature. But I also know places where my waters have suffered from pollution and the trash left behind by humans.

There were times when I felt sad and weak. The fish disappeared from some areas, and my waters were no longer as clean as they used to be. I often wondered if anyone would still hear the voice of a river. I wonder if I will be able to pass on my water and source of life to future generations?

I especially imagine children doing things for me; this gives me hope.Now I want to hear about your rivers.

What are their waters like?

What animals live near them?

What challenges do they face?

And how can we all help protect water, which is our planet’s most precious resource?

My journey continues to the Atlantic Ocean…

And the story of water continues with you.

 Team 3: Dramatic Monolgue from a river in Spain

Oana Maria MARIN

Students:

Enise Ulu Çoğalan

Students: Öykü, Sarp, Asım, Eyüp Efe, Hale

Carina Filipa Silva

Students: Hugo Costa, Sayan Karr; Beatriz Fernandes; Beatriz Oliveira

Through these emerald-green sea grasses glided Luna, a young loggerhead sea turtle with beautiful, traditional tile-like patterns on her shell. For Luna, this turquoise forest was a peaceful sanctuary where she spent her days swimming alongside tiny seahorses and enjoying the clean, salty breeze of the Mediterranean.

However, the peace did not last. One afternoon, a heavy, stagnant current arrived from the open sea. Luna noticed something shimmering near the surface. Curious, she swam upward, expecting to see a translucent jellyfish. Instead, she found a plastic bag, followed by a dark trail of colorful bottle caps and discarded nets. The vibrant green of the Posidonia beneath it began to droop, choked by this sudden, dangerous shadow.

Knowing she couldn't fight this giant problem alone,

Luna dove deep into the heart of the forest. She closed her eyes and let out a soft, echoing whistle into the deep blue, entrusting her urgent plea to the great underwater currents: “Our shared waters are crying for help. The turquoise forest is losing its breath. To the friends on the distant shores, will you join hands and help us save our blue home?”

The current carried her words away, sweeping past the Spanish coast and traveling fast across the open sea, until the message finally reached a completely different shore, where...          Öykü Soma Science and Art Center

                           ...a teenage girl named Elena was walking alone near a small river that flowed into the sea. The evening sky was painted in soft shades of orange and pink, and the sound of the waves mixed with the quiet movement of the river behind her.

Small seahorses hid safely between the leaves, and schools of silver fish danced in the sunlight.

Luna lifted her head toward the surface, feeling the warm current around her shell. Somehow, she knew her message had been heard.

The sea still had scars, and the danger had not disappeared completely. But now, across distant shores, people had started to understand that the ocean did not belong to only one country or one creature. It belonged to everyone.

And as the waves carried whispers from coast to coast, Luna continued swimming forward with something she had almost lost before:

hope for a cleaner blue world...

The next morning, Elena returned to the river. This time, she didn’t just look at the water. She noticed everything around her. There was trash caught among the plants, small pieces of plastic in the sand, and signs that nature needed help. She realized something important: the sea does not start at the beach. Every river, every street, and every action of people can reach the ocean. At school, Elena decided to talk to her classmates. She told them the story of the message and what she had discovered. At first, some were silent. Others began to remember beaches with trash, polluted rivers, and animals in danger.

Then an idea was born:

— What if we start with small actions? — asked a colleague.

They created posters, organized a cleanup of a space near the school, and began to learn more about water, marine life, and the importance of protecting the planet.

Little by little, they realized that they were not too small to make a difference.

Every recycled bottle, every piece of trash collected, every person made aware was a new wave of change.

Weeks passed and the group grew. Parents, teachers, and neighbors also started to participate. 

The river seemed different: cleaner, more alive, as if it were grateful for everyone's care.

One day, Elena returned to the shore where she had found the bottle. She sat in silence and watched the flow of the water. She smiled, imagining Luna on the other side of the ocean, perhaps also looking at the sea at that very moment.

Team 4: Dramatic Monolgue from a river in Slovenia

Rita Bronze

Students: Lara Fonseca; Tómas Costa; Miguel Teibão: Francisco Castro

Ertan Öz

Students:

I am the Sava River. They call me the great river of Slovenia.
 I am born in the cold mountains of the Julian Alps and flow across countries, cities, and borders. For centuries, I carried boats, stories, secrets, and entire lives. I saw empires fall. I saw wars. I saw children learning to swim on my banks. And I saw humans change.

In the past, when someone came close to me, they came to listen.
Today, they come near me… but almost nobody listens.

My waters were once so clear that the sky seemed to dive into me. Fish moved like silver shadows, forests leaned over my banks and drank in silence. There was respect. Now there is only hurry.

Trains, cars, and factories pass by me. Detergents, plastics, and invisible chemicals reach my waters. Things that did not exist when I was only water and stone.

And do you know what the worst part is?

It is not the pollution you can see. It is the pollution you cannot see. The kind that enters slowly, the kind that kills little by little. The kind that makes fish disappear before anyone notices.