By Tom O’Dowd, Onboard Educator
Young Men at the Helm, Class of 2012
This is the fourth year Clearwater has offered the free youth empowerment program Young Men at the Helm. It is now a great Clearwater tradition, and each year has had its own unique character—this year it was the heat, the hikes, and the rowing!
The program ran from sunny August 22nd to sunny August 24th. We picked up the young men in Beacon, camped overnight at Poughkeepsie and Norrie Point, and dropped them off in Beacon. The young men learned about sailing a wooden vessel and protecting the Hudson River in four “Watches”—or areas of expertise.
Photo by Victor Pierre Melendez
WHO?
Young Men at the Helm is a program for 15-18 year olds from towns and cities up and down the Hudson River. This year we recruited young men from Albany, the mid- and lower-Hudson Valley, and several boroughs of New York City. We make a lot of connections through environmentally-themed high schools such as Harbor School, High School for Environmental Studies, in NYC and Green Tech High in Albany, and green youth groups like Brother Yusuf’s fly fishing and urban gardening programs, as well as other groups.
We had six returning participants who shared and expanded on their experiences from previous years, and 16 new participants. The people make the program, and we had some great young men this year!
Photo by Victor Pierre Melendez
WHAT?
Young Men at the Helm is a youth empowerment program based on the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. The goal is to introduce participants to several new experiences that inspire them to take charge of their lives and their environment. The three-day program introduces participants to ecosystems, plants, and animals they may not have experienced before. There is also a historical connection made between the sloop and the River and how human impacts have changed over time.
Finally, the participants get in-depth training in how to run and maintain the boat, from using the engine and the tiller, learning sail theory, learning multiple methods for collecting life in the River, rowing the Yawl boat, to regular everyday deck wash! The program is transformative, and several participants ask to come back for a second year or as an intern or apprentice!
WHERE?
The program changes locations each year, but sticks to docks in the mid-Hudson region. This year we sailed from Beacon to Poughkeepsie to Norrie Point to Beacon, which allowed participants to see urban AND wild places along the River. We saw the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, the Mid-Hudson Bridge, and the Walkway Over the Hudson. We saw quarries, the Pilot Boat, beaches, marshes, forests, and streams. The participants even explored nature-in-the-city with a Green City Bingo game that required them to observe birds, trees, and signs of humans using, abusing, and taking care of their environment.
WHEN?
Young Men at the Helm is one of several multi-day programs Clearwater is able to offer over the summer, when most young people are out of school. This August was very hot, and crew and participants sure got a lot of Vitamin D!
WHY?
Young Men at the Helm happens around the time participants are getting old enough to apply as youth interns or as volunteers. Hence, Young Men at the Helm is a great part of Clearwater’s Education Pipeline! These young men are also thinking about summer jobs and college, so this experience gives them job-like experience and the confidence to move on to the next step. Finally, we hope to inspire these young men to take control of their lives. The adventure and experiential aspects of this program, plus the gathering and presenting of knowledge at the final ceremony, give participants a feeling of self-efficacy that might be lacking in their lives.
HOW?
Young Men at the Helm couldn’t happen without the time, money, knowledge, and skills of so many donors, staff members, crewmembers, and sloop volunteers! This program is a true collaboration of Clearwater family members helping to create the next generation of environmental leaders!
