Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2014 | Page 48

ON THE WATER

to change people’s lives.
“It is the catalyst for change in young
people, and that is what this organisation
is all about. Noel was an adventurer, who
believed it was great for young people to
be introduced to sailing at an early age.
“We do three things here and they are
all inter-related. We focus on schools
and groups, youth development,
and professional training. Some
schoolchildren or youth groups that
arrive here have never seen the sea
before, so it is quite a big experience for
them.
“If you suddenly spend five days
sailing on the sea, that is a proper
adventure, that’s why we believe we can
make a difference in young people’s
lives. With youth development we work
with young, unemployed people, from
the Island and beyond; sometimes
young offenders or people who have got
themselves into a bit of trouble.
“Some arrive with hoodies on and head
down, and won’t look you in the eye.
But at the end of the four or six-week
48

www.visitilife.com

programme they do a presentation to
a room full of people, and you can see
them stand tall at the front of the room.
Sometimes we are working with people

'It is the catalyst
for change in
young people,
and that is what
this organisation
is all about'
who have never succeeded in anything,
so for them to do their first powerboat
qualification provides them with the first
certificate they have ever had in their lives.

“Those are big moments for them giving them the confidence to believe
they can achieve what they want to
achieve. Youth development moves into
project work, so they might do a project
on the Island with a local charity, and we
also do work experience that sometimes
leads them into a job.”
As we toured the workshops and
classrooms at the UKSA, and saw their
many boats bobbing on the water just
outside, Richard continued: “The third
part of our work is the professional
training programmes. We train future
yachtsmen and women, water sports
instructors, hospitality, deck crew, marine
engineers and the like. The key is that it
leads to a job in the marine industry, up
to and beyond yacht master. We run a
four-year cadetship which takes people
through yacht master and up to Officer of
the Watch.
“So there is a whole range of career
options from the first entry level of
learning to sail and getting out on the
water when you are perhaps eight or nine