BRISTOL, R.I. (July 2, 2024) – Sailing centers throughout the country have been awarded grants to grow youth sailing through STEM and environmental education with the US Sailing Reach Initiative. The Reach Initiative grants provide non-profit sailing centers with funds and resources to further their Reach program goals and increase STEM opportunities for students in their community.
The Reach Initiative utilizes sailing as an educational platform that challenges youth to embrace education, establish a love of learning, and explore productive Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) based careers. Combining educators, sailing instructors, engineers, and scientists with today’s youth, the Reach Initiative provides a one-of-a-kind, authentic learning experience where students can apply classroom learning in a cooperative work environment.
The following programs were selected for 2024 US Sailing Reach Youth Engagement grants. These grants were made possible by support from Rolex and US Sailing donors. Congratulations to the 2024 recipients!
Kauai Sailing Association (Lihue, HI)
The Kauai Sailing Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to teach life skills through marine awareness. This is achieved through sailing instruction, marine education, and community outreach. Our vision is to develop life skills such as teamwork, leadership, self-confidence, self-awareness, and integrity, which has had a positive impact on countless youth, adults, and organizations. As the primary educational sailing organization on Kauai, our goal is to continuously grow and expand our youth and adult sailing and marine education programs by introducing sailing and STEM to the children of the island. We aim to reach all island youth through low-cost and free classes, camps, and clinics, as well as by offering STEM field trips for island schools and groups. During these field trips, students have the opportunity to become citizen and marine scientists, becoming stewards of the land.
Learn More about Kauai Sailing Association
Hudson River Community Sailing (New York, NY)
Hudson River Community Sailing (HRCS) develops leadership and academic success in underserved New York City youth and provides maritime education and recreation to the community at large. HRCS has been running STEM-based programming since its founding in 2008, partnering directly with public schools to offer a credit-bearing after school program (Sail Academy) built on the math and science of sailing. During the summer, HRCS brings the REACH curriculum to over 175 kids during City Sail, a week-long sailing and STEM camp where kids escape the heat and noise of the city and enjoy summer on the Hudson River.
Learn more about Hudson River Community Sailing
Green Bay Sail & Paddle (Green Bay, WI)
Green Bay Sail & Paddle, Inc. (GBSP) is a nonprofit organization creating learning opportunities for everyone, regardless of means and abilities, to safely enjoy sail and paddle sports on the waters of the bay. GBSP implements STEM education in multiple facets, including through a partnership with the Green Bay Public School System. Through this partnership, GBSP works with at-risk youth during the spring semester of a given year to cover STEM principles as it relates to sailing and the maritime industries; but also works to impart life skills to help students be successful. Upon the successful completion of this course, students sail during the final session of the class.
Learn more about Green Bay Sail & Paddle
Seafarers Yacht Club (Annapolis, MD)
Located in Annapolis, Maryland, the Seafarers Yacht Club is one of the oldest historically African American yacht clubs in the country. SYC, along with its philanthropic arm the Seafarers Foundation, and the Sea Scout Ship it charters, Ship 1959 – Seafarers Commitment, plays an important role in the boating and community life of Annapolis, and the broader Anne Arundel and Prince Georges Counties in Maryland. Our weeklong Seafarers Summer Seamanship School is a partnership between all three organizations, and includes two days of powerboat training, two days, keelboat training, one day of cruising, and two days of dinghy sailing for our participants all using the US Sailing, Powerboating, and REACH curricula. An ancillary goal is to recruit boys and girls aged 10-16 into our Sea Scout ship for year-round maritime training.
Learn more about Seafarers Yacht Club and the Seafarers Foundation
Conanicut Island Sailing Foundation (Jamestown, RI)
Conanicut Island Sailing Foundation (CISF) is a coastal education non-profit organization that inspires and engages people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities with the coastal environment through education and boating. CISF programs build confidence, provide teamwork and leadership opportunities, and establish strong connections to the ocean and our environment. CISF offers after-school, in-school, home-school, and vacation day programs as well as a summer camp. STEAM education, and specifically US Sailing Reach modules, are built into programs to provide fun, hands-on learning that provide relevance to in-school learning.
Learn more about Conanicut Island Sailing Foundation
Seacamp (Big Pine Kay, FL)
Since 1966, Seacamp has been serving 10- to 17-year-olds passionately interested in immersing themselves in marine science and watersports. Seacamp has had a summer sailing program for many years but was crippled by Hurricane Irma in 2017. We have started building back our program with plans to re-integrate the Reach Curriculum and expand the program into the fall. We are passionate about our mission to create and nurture the next generation of leaders in marine studies!
Youth Sailing Virginia (Hampton, VA)
Youth Sailing Virginia is a community sailing center dedicated to eliminating socio-economic barriers to sailing, making the sport accessible to everyone. YSV collaborates closely with local school systems to offer impactful STEM education courses, which explore the technical aspects of sailing and introduce students to maritime career opportunities.
Learn more about Youth Sailng Virginia
Treasure Island Sailing Center (San Francisco, CA)
Treasure Island Sailing Center (TISC) provides access to Sailing and San Francisco Bay. TISC hosts a Field Trip for San Francisco Unified School District, bringing over 1200 public school students to the water each school year! Plus we are learning STEM all summer long at our Summer Camp! TISC is excited to use the Reach curriculum and tools to make sailing and the water even more fun for everyone!
Learn more about the Treasure Island Sailing Center
Sail Orcas (West Sound, WA)
Sail Orcas is a non-profit sailing school located in the San Juan Islands. Our STEM programs are incorporated into our learn-to-sail curriculum to give participants a holistic view of why sailing works and help them understand our place here in the Salish Sea. We use US Sailing’s REACH curriculum to offer a free 10-week-long sailing elective class to the Orcas Island Middle Schoolers. This class focuses on teaching water safety, the basics of sailing, marine science, and the physics behind why boats work.
Cleveland Foundry (Cleveland, OH)
The Cleveland Foundry exists to make rowing, sailing, and related opportunities accessible to youth from all backgrounds by removing barriers to participation such as transportation, financial support, equipment, and gear. Using Lake Erie and The Cuyahoga River as the learning platform, The Foundry implements STEM education in all its youth sailing curricula, where students explore, discover, and build their strengths, skills, and knowledge. The US Sailing REACH grant will allow us to meet community needs and serve more youth by helping to eliminate two of the most significant barriers to participation – cost and transportation.
Learn more about the Cleveland Foundry
Click here to learn more about the US Sailing’s Reach Initiative and for information on you can get involved.
Click here to see the impact of US Sailing’s Reach Initiative in 2023.