Teaching children through boating for the Young Mariners Foundation (www.youngmarinersfoundation.org) enabled me to impact many under served families.
Children are our future.
Boating is my passion.
Many children do not have access to boating, despite living within a few miles of Long Island Sound and in an affluent area.
Walking daily round Greenwich Point overlooking Long Island Sound, gradually I realized I needed to be ON the water and not just BY the water. I took all the classes I could and eventually became District Commander of the U.S. States Power Squadrons, the largest recreational boating organization in the world. The Young Mariners Foundation asked me to teach safe boating to 20 under-served children as part of their experiential program educating children through boating.
Reworking adult education for 5th graders was a long process but fun, and once in front of my first class, I realized how much I could learn from them. At the start of the class, I asked; ‘what are you most scared about in sailing?’ and one answer was ‘capsizing’. At the end of the year I asked; ‘what was the most fun for you?’ and the answer from the same student was ‘capsizing’. Bringing 20 students through the program, and seeing them grow in confidence, maturity and raising their grades gave me great satisfaction. My program is now used as a ‘best practice’ for the U.S. Power Squadrons, so extends far further than Greenwich.
Rewards have been many and include seeing one student receive Connecticut Teen Volunteer of the Year and another accepted into the High School Sailing Team. But meeting a parent at the beach shouting to me ‘Hey, Susan – Carlos sailed solo last week!’ was as good a reward as any.
Thanks, kids, thank you boating, and thank you Young Mariners Foundation for making such a difference.
Review from #MyGivingStory