Sailing into success

THE Noosa Yacht and Rowing Club’s ‘Buoyed Up’ program has invited 21 primary students from Cherbourg State School, near Kingaroy, to attend an exciting sailing camp for the first week of school holidays.
Buoyed Up is a fully funded project offered by the youth sailing program to Indigenous and vulnerable kids from seven to 12 years of age.
The program was designed to improve self-esteem, value team work, learn about the environment and culture, develop motor skills and enhance a child’s resilience.
The acclaimed program was recently evaluated by the University of Canberra – National Institute of Sports Studies – and found that this new positive approach may be the key to re-engaging children at school and reducing the risk of social exclusion for disadvantaged kids.
NYRC sailing manager Paul Blundell said the program was designed to benefit Indigenous and vulnerable kids in a fun and structured camp environment to a group that would normally not have the opportunity to attend.
“The Yachting Australia Tackers’ sailing course was the perfect fit that not only took kids out of their comfort zone but provided a team work based program where the kids soon realised that to solve the problem of competently sailing a two-up boat you had to work as a team or be left behind,” he said.
The students from Cherbourg were selected as a reward for their school attendance and behaviour and this camp has been earmarked as an annual event where each September the school staff will select students that have really tried hard at primary school.
The program offered by the NYRC costs around $60,000 per year to facilitate and could not continue without the help of sponsorship and donations.
If you would like to make a donation to Buoyed Up please visit the NYRC website at www.nyrc.com.au and follow the link to the ASF.