Sailing charity funds six placements for young people

Jubilee Sailing Trust (JST) has partnered with a military preparation college dedicated to offering life skills and experience opportunities to young people. 

The Motivational Preparation College for Training (MPCT) aims to inspire young people through training and education in three different divisions – Military Preparation School, Military Preparation College and its Sports & Exercise College. 

Through its partnership with JST, six students from MPCT will get the opportunity to crew the charity’s tall ship SV Tenacious over the course of two voyages. 

Voyage one will see the students sail from Portsmouth to Dartmouth over eight days between 28^th August and 4^th September 2021. The follow-up voyage will be from Jersey to London over nine days from 13^th – 21^st September 2021. 

While on board, each person will be given real responsibilities to help run the ship day to day from cleaning and maintenance to assistance with navigation. They will also learn to tackle tough challenges, changing weather conditions and a stretch of several days away from home, friends and family. JST hopes this will offer the student a sense of camaraderie and belonging.

“JST’s vision is about offering equal opportunities to all through sailing experiences on board Tenacious,” says JST CEO, Patrick Fleming. “She’s the only tall ship in the world to be designed, built and sailed by a mixed ability crew – which means she is fully accessible and can be crewed regardless of physical ability or experience on the water.

“We’ve seen groups of young people change through their experiences and given them valuable life skills which they then use to progress their goals, whether that is in confidence, or developing leadership ability. The partnership with the MPCT is perfect for us as we share that vision of inclusion and encouragement.” 

Huw Lewis, CEO of MPCT, says: “I am absolutely delighted that our young people will be afforded the wonderful transformational experience JST has to offer. 

“Many of the young people who enrol on MPCT programmes have not had a positive experience during their time in compulsory education, which then presents a lack of self-esteem and confidence to fully engage in educational programmes. Without considerable support through organisations like JST, these students would fail to achieve their individual goals. 

“I firmly believe that our mutual desire to support young people to become better citizens will only improve through this collaboration.”