MORE THAN A SCHOOL TRIP

“Coming to UKSA is more than a school trip” says Rachel Hibberd, the maritime charity’s new Schools and Groups Manager. “We have first-hand evidence that outdoor activity centres like UKSA help young people’s mental health and confidence, build resilience, and instil life skills. In addition to this, the healing power of the sea and coastal environments has been shown to improve our health, body and mind which is why it’s more important than ever for young people, especially those from inner cities, to have on-water experiences.”

Making sailing available to all children

We are therefore delighted to share our news that we have just secured funding for 500 places on our Sea.Change Foundation programme for 2023, giving every child a contribution of up to at least 50% towards course fees. Programmes will run within the easter holidays, may half-term and the summer holidays.

We are a charity that transforms the lives of young people, and this inspiring five-day programme is for 14- to 17-year-olds who enjoy adventure and being in the great outdoors. It introduces young people to a range of fun activities including paddle-boarding and dinghy sailing, power boating and yachting. Suitable for complete beginners and for those who have already dipped their toe into the water, our experienced and friendly instructors are here to support trainees every step of the way.

Students also learn about training and the different pathways into working in the maritime industry or in watersports. This year we have seen more than 10% of our NCFE Further Education intake join us after completing a Sea.Change programme. All 18 of these students started their journey at UKSA with a school trip.

Head of social mobility at Tile Cross Academy Neil McIntosh said:
“We’ve been doing trips for many years, but this was the first time that not only the children could really try watersports but also be inspired by the prospect of a career in maritime. The Sea.Change Foundation programme is unique in its offering of the careers element, and many children came back enthused to be superyacht skippers or onboard chefs.”

Inspiring and supporting children and young people to broaden their horizons

Superyacht deck officers and crew, merchant mariners, watersports instructors and yacht skippers are all regular jobs for our graduates. The Sea.Change course is also perfect for young people who simply want to come and have fun for a few days with some like-minded people. No prior knowledge or experience is required; you simply have to be excited about learning something new.

All-inclusive waterside centre on the Isle of Wight

In July we were delighted to welcome our Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, to officially open our new Sea.Change building. This brilliant 136-bed accommodation centre means we can welcome an additional 3,000 young people each year which will certainly help the current demand for availability.

And now that the busy summer months are behind us, we are getting cracking with our winter refurbishment plans including installing brand new bathrooms into our original accommodation blocks.

Learn water confidence and sailing skills

New to our 2023 dinghy fleet are these beautifully blue Fusion Plus sailboats. Safe and stable they are designed to quickly build confidence and will have you zipping across the waves in no time. Sailing is a great way of getting back to nature by using the elements to power your boat and at UKSA, we give you sailing adventures to last a lifetime.

“With the guidance and encouragement from the UKSA instructional staff, our children were able to experience new challenges and to be successful. They have grown in self-belief and confidence and have become more independent. They are still buzzing in school this morning!” - Alison Cass - Beacon View Primary School Teaching Assistant

So, lots of good reasons to come and visit UKSA!

We are now taking bookings for 2024 and have some availability for next year on the following dates:

Three- and five-day multi-activity residential trips

* 13-17 March 5-day multi-activity residential for up to 90 participants from £300 per person
* 8-12 May 5-day multi-activity residential for up to 36 participants from £375 per person
* 15-17 May 3-day multi-activity residential for up to 100 participants from £225 per person
* 19-23 June 5-day multi-activity residential for up to 20 participants from £475 per person
* 3-7 July 5-day multi-activity residential for up to 90 participants from £475 per person

Holiday special offers

*Easter holidays 3-14 April. Multi-activity residentials for groups of 10-90 participants from £180 per person (3-day) or £300 per person (5-day)
*Half term: 29 April-2 May. Multi-activity residentials for groups of 10-90 participants from £180 per person (3-day) or £300 per person (5-day)
*Summer holidays: 24 July-8 September. Multi-activity residentials for groups of 10-90 participants from £225 per person (3-day) or £375 per person (5-day)

https://uksa.org/course/schools-and-groups/