On one voyage in 2018, Ocean Youth Trust South made a very short video to illustrate what young people can gain through sailing, which ends with the words of a 15-year old who described her voyage as “an amazing experience that has changed everything for me.” This is a girl who joined the boat so nervous and shy that she could barely communicate with the other young people, let alone the adult staff and volunteers. By the end of the week she was able to chat happily with others; she was confident on the helm and with sail hoists and winches; she had made some new friends; she had earned a qualification and a certificate; and she was starting to think much more positively about her own future – even asking how she might do work experience in something connected with sailing. Perhaps best of all, she comes from a school which is forming a long-term partnership with Ocean Youth Trust South, understanding what a voyage can do to change a young person, so she will have gone back to teachers keen to build on her new-found confidence and to make sure that her achievements on board are not forgotten but are carried forward into other areas of her life.
