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23rd, June 2014
Setting Sail on New Partnership For Teesside Youngsters
A group of youngsters from schools on Teesside are amongst the first to benefit from a new partnership between two maritime-related charities.
Programmes
Sail training charity Ocean Youth Trust (OYT) North and Teesside-based High Tide have teamed up to launch a new programme which will take young people from across the area on the James Cook, a 21 metre, 54 tonne steel-hulled ketch which offers a safe but exhilarating residential sailing experience aimed at changing lives and inspiring futures. Through the voyages, young people acquire a range of life skills learnt while working as a team, learning to overcome personal fears and obstacles by rising to the challenge of the sea.
The first joint voyage departed from Middlehaven in Middlesbrough on Friday, taking 9 young people between the ages of 14 and 15 from 6 local schools on a weekend voyage along the coast. The youngsters had all previously taken part in High Tide’s first-ever Cadet programme – an 8 week after-school scheme designed to introduce them to the world of work in and around Teesport.
Sir Harry Wilmot, MD of Middlesbrough-based fire protection company HE Woolley and chairman of OYT North, said of the new partnership: “It’s great to be working with High Tide to bring the benefits of sail training to more young people on Teesside, we hope this will be the first of many such voyages”.
High Tide’s chairman, Kevin Shakesheff, chairman of Casper Shipping, commented: “This really does illustrate the way in which we can create opportunities for our young people, helping them gain skills in teamwork and overcoming adversity – and, we hope, having fun in the process. We are delighted to be working with OYT North on this new adventure programme”.