Access for all

Along the shores of the Salish Sea, we see a challenge. Powerful youth development experiences and exceptional education environments are limited for students who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Formative maritime learning opportunities offer a hands-on, supportive space for youth to explore and reach their full potential. We believe the sea is the most powerful teacher we know. It must be accessible to all.

Because learning requires courage

When students make mistakes and learn from them, we call that courage. As an organization, we hold ourselves to the same standards we ask of our students. Be bold. Lead. Choose big goals. When you make a mistake, learn from it. And when you succeed, push yourself to go bigger. It’s why that old adage still rings true—a ship in harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are for.

Today, as students begin to emerge from the pandemic’s grip, authentic learning through powerful maritime experiences is more important than ever. It’s our responsibility to increase access to these experiences, so that more students are given the opportunity to grow into courageous, empathetic, resilient leaders.

And experience forges expertise

We have always been driven by bold visions, innovation, and the desire to create the largest possible impact in the communities we serve. Thirty years of youth maritime education expertise helped us grow our portfolio of youth development programs to nearly 45,000 hours of student learning annually, which includes Salish Sea Expeditions and the Maritime Discovery Program, among many others.

Be bold, together

This year, we’ve set a bold course for regional expansion led by the launch of the Maritime High School with Highline Public Schools in Seattle. With your support, we’re on a path to expand youth development access 10x—to more than 450,000 student hours of maritime programming annually—and greatly increase access for BIPOC students.