YMH: July 27th, 28th, 29th
Applications due May 21st
The Hudson River Sloop Clearwater is a historic 106-foot tall ship that offers a variety of ecology-based experiences to thousands of youth and adults each year. We also make it a priority to reach out to students in urban areas who are often underserved in this capacity. One of the newest programs in Clearwater’s “Next Generation of Environmental Leaders” initiative is our three-day program called Young Men at the Helm (YMH).
The program begins with outreach visits to several community groups and schools in low-income, urban areas throughout the Hudson Valley. This year, 20-25 young men will be accepted to the three-day program and participate in various on-board and onshore activities.
Watch video clips of the first ever Young Men at the Helm program:
One of the goals of the YMH program is to involve participants in activities that challenge them physically and mentally and introduce them to caring and responsible men who are active in the green jobs. These role models include guest speakers and the Clearwater captains.
Participants sample different experiential activities covering ecology, navigation, maritime life and history, then choose one of topics for their learning focus. Each group also learns one boat-related physical skill (such as deploying the fishing net, docking the vessil or raising sail), that they will perform on their own on Day Three. The two nights are spent ashore camping and meeting with guest speakers from professions such as historians, politicians, doctors, scientists and sea captains. At the end of the program, each group presents what they have learned to their peers.
For the past eight years Clearwater’s “Young WOMEN at the Helm” (YWH) has provided girls in the Hudson Valley with the life changing opportunity to sail aboard our historic tallship, and 2009 marked the first year of Young Men at the Helm.
This experience profoundly affects young women and the model will be tailored to the needs and interests of the boys we invite on the river. A participant from 2008 recalls, “It most definitely made me grow and gain confidence…by teaching me how to be a leader and to never quit, to always keep going even when it’s tough.”
Participants often form a deep bond with their local ecosystem, become aware of abilities they didn’t know they had, and make lasting friendships. For Ye Liu, a participant from 2008 who will return as a paid apprentice in the 2009 season, “Captain Samantha was my favorite. She really showed me that we should never let stereotypes or conventional roles define who we are.”
Each three-day program costs approximately $1,000 per student to provide our top-notch educational experience, under the supervision of a professional crew on our coast guard certified 70-ton wooden ship. We hope to continue expanding our abilities to inspire a wider pool of future environmental stewards, marine scientists and community leaders.
Many of the pilot year participants have expressed interest in returning as interns or apprentices. We refer to this sort of on-going involvement as Clearwater’s “Pipeline” and directly achieves our mission of creating green jobs and environmental leaders in the Hudson Valley.
Young Men at the Helm will provide a unique experience for those who would otherwise never have the opportunity for the sail instruction, environmental education and rigorous leadership training we provide.
