Grantee Spotlight: US Sailing REACH

What is Reach?

screen-shot-2016-10-06-at-8-51-18-am Reach is a program started by US Sailing in 2012 to use sailing as an educational platform to teach science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The goal of this program is simple: get kids sailing to teach them about science and technology through hands-on learning, and spark their curiosity for a career path and foster a lifelong commitment to protecting the planet. Over 400 sailing centers and school programs are using this curriculum, reaching over 200,000 kids since it started and growing each year!

There are 18 different lessons that range from: marine biology, to weather, to robotics. One of the newest lessons offered is focused on a “Sailor’s Environmental Footprint”, where students learn how everyday activities can impact the environment. Students learn how to incorporate sustainability into their own behavior, even down to how to pack a more sustainable lunch!

 

11th Hour Racing’s Support to Get More Programs Involved

Reach mentoring session participants from sailing centers across the Northeast U.S., brought together at Community Boating Center in Providence, RI in October 2016. Participants shared lessons learned on teaching STEM, heard from experts on emerging issues, resources and how to evaluate their programs.

Currently, 11th Hour Racing supports the two regional Centers of Excellence the Reach program has established in the Northeast (Community Boating Center in Providence, RI) and in the Mid-Atlantic (Downtown Sailing Center in Baltimore, MD) to serve as a hub to convene those teaching the program, to share best practices and new ideas. Just as a hub offers strength and support to a wheel through its spokes, each year mentoring sessions are held at these Centers of Excellence to continually improve Reach and create more impactful outcomes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reach in Action Around the Country:

STEM Campers learn to sail for the first time while diving into the concepts of buoyancy, sail area, and marine Debris at Downtown Sailing Center in Baltimore, MD. Photo credit: Downtown Sailing Center.

 

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Sailors at Community Boating Center, NE Reach Center of Excellence are encouraged to fill their reusable drink using the Zip2 System. Photo credit: Community Boating Center Providence.

 

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Future Environmentalists at Community Boating Center in Providence Learn About Large Scale Cleanup Efforts in the Providence River from 11th Hour Racing Grantee Clean Bays. Photo credit: Community Boating Center Providence.
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Learning about marine debris with US Sailing Reach Module 6 at Baltimore Community Sailing Center this summer. Photo credit:Baltimore Community Sailing Center.
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Student scientists at New England Science and Sailing record salinity levels in the estuary of Stonington Harbor where freshwater mixes with saltwater creating a nursery for many species. Photo credit: New England Science and Sailing.

 

Thanks to all of the US Sailing Reach programs and instructors working hard every day to make science fun, create pathways and connections to our oceans and waterways through sailing. Together you are paving the way of a greener and bluer future for all of us.

For more information about the US Sailing Reach Program and how you can get involved check out reach.ussailing.org for more info!

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