Sailors For Hope Announces Scholarship for BVI Islander

Sailors For Hope is proud to award a scholarship for Maritime Training at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College in Tortola, British Virgin Islands. The scholarship provides a tuition grant of $5,500.00. Jahkeem Tuckett from Tortola, who was one of four local applicants, was selected to receive this year’s grant.

Marine Professional Training (MPT) serves as a pivotal learning platform for entry into the BVI Marine Industry. It offers internationally accredited certifications alongside workplace apprenticeship learning. Participants convene at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College Marine Center.

The seventh installment of the MPT Programme commences on October 3rd, with a cohort of twelve participants. Over a 10-week period, students will study various aspects of the marine industry, followed by an 8-week apprenticeship with local marine businesses. Throughout the program, students receive a salary of $8.00 per hour.

The curriculum is structured into ten modules, with each week focusing on a new module designed to develop and refine specific skills essential for marine professionals. These skills are benchmarked and certified by local, regional, and international agencies.

Students learn the basics of rigging a sailboat.

Participants also benefit from presentations by various guest professionals and practitioners, as well as training aligned with the International Convention on Standards of Training.

Funding for these scholarships is made possible through generous donations to the Sailors For Hope General Fund.

November 10, 2022November 20, 2022

Local BV Islanders Graduate from Marine Training Programme

This past summer, two BV Islanders Recaldo Noel Jr and Shakudo Pickering graduated from the Marine Professional Training program at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Both men received full scholarships from Sailors for Hope and the Stanley Blaxton Foundation. Noel and Shakudo were hired immediately out of their apprenticeship programs into Full Time employment into the Marine Sector.

Sailors for Hope congratulates Recaldo, Shakudo and all of the other graduates for a job well done.

Below is a letter, which we received the other day from the Marine Professional Training programme manager.

Good morning Don,

Sincere thanks for your very kind support of Marine Professional Training (MPT) Level 1.

I’m very pleased (actually quite proud) to update you on Recaldo Noel, Jr and Shakudo Pickering, the MPT L1 Cohort 4 candidates sponsored by Sailors for Hope this past Spring 2022.

Both were hired immediately out of their Apprenticeships into Full Time employment in the Marine Sector.

This is precisely the outcome that I look for with our MPT L1 programmes- namely, that candidates are exposed to workforce opportunities, and employers have the chance to audit potential hires for entry-level roles in the marine industry.

As an update:

Recaldo is working F/T at Nanny Cay on their Marina Team.
Shakudo is working F/T at BVI Yacht Charters with their Technical Department.

What’s more, each of these young men has added to their workload a Community-based Part/Time engagement, fitting our Blue Economy model for resilient ecosystems and robust economies:

Shakudo works 10 hours / week for HLSCC’s Mangrove Nursery, assisting in the care and maintenance of mangrove seedlings as part of HLSCC’s coastal resilience initiative to protect our shorelines and juvenile fish habitats.
Recaldo was one of 5 MPT candidates that were hand-picked as instructors for Kids and the Sea (KATS), a cherished youth focused NPO that has been in the Territory for over 30 years.

Here is a lovely short video produced by one of our instructor trainers which features Recaldo (aka ‘Junior’) in a typical day at KATS: KATS Video by Cara Brown

Don, your support makes all the difference in these young people’s lives.

MPT Level 1, Cohort 5 is due to begin in January 2023. We are currently inteviewing candidates for enrollment and scholarships.

The MPT programme has attained tremendous fidelity in the BVI Community. For 12 spaces on Cohort 5, we’ve had over 40 applications!

Thank you to Sailors for Hope by helping our MPT candidates get their careers off to a great start!

With kind regards,

Matt

Matthew Holt | Marine Programme Manager

Centre for Applied Marine Studies (CAMS)P.O. Box 3097 | Road Town, Tortola, VG1110 | British Virgin IslandsMain: (284) 852-7000 | Direct: (284) 852-7225 | mholt@hlscc.edu.vg | www.hlscc.edu.vg

May 16, 2022

Providing Bottled Water to Primary Schools in the BVI

Sailors For Hope is proud to anounce a grant of $5000 to Clean Water BVI. The funds will be used to provide bottled water to five primary schools in the British Virgin Islands. These schools have been without drinking water since hurricane Irma devastated the BVI in September 2017. The schools are Willard Wheatley Primary School, Francis Lettsome Primary School, Alexandrina Maduro Primary School, Ebenezer Thomas Primary School and The Home Away From Home Pre-school all located in Tortola.

Clear Water BVI has generously agreed to a reduced rate for this service.

September 6, 2019March 18, 2022

Hurricane Dorian Relief

Hurricane Dorian Relief.

Please support the relief efforts in the Bahamas after the destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian.

Dear Friends

By now we have all seen the photos and videos of the total destruction in the Bahamas caused by hurricane Dorian. The destruction is every bit as bad as that caused by hurricanes Irma and Maria two years ago in the Leeward Islands. Based on what we have learned from these terrible hurricanes and how best to respond to them, we suggest that you avoid the many go-fund-me sites and contribute directly to the NGO’s who have the equipment and resources to be effective.

We were particularly impressed with Convey of Hope based in Springfield Missouri. They were on island early after Irma providing necessary medical supplies, portable food kitchens and trained personnel. They have the resources to move quickly with necessary relief and remain for the long haul.

Another organization that is already in the Northern Bahamas and serving meals to families in need is World Central Kitchens. WCK is flying in meals from their kitchen facility in Nassau and has establish a relief kitchen in Abaco with a second in Grand Bahama coming soon.

Please consider donating to either of these organizations or other non-government relief organizations as the most effective way of helping those in need.

If you prefer to donate through Sailors For Hope, please donate to our General Fund and we will insure that all donations go directly to those groups on the ground providing direct aid to those in need..

Sincerely
Don Makowiecki
Sailors For Hope

July 10, 2019July 10, 2019

K1 Britannia Foundation opens Mini Libraries

Mini Libraries are now open to the public!

K1 Britannia Foundation with the help of over 17 volunteers have built and assembled four mini-libraries that are currently located at the Emilio Wilson Park, John Larmonie Center in Philipsburg, Rupert Maynard Community Center in St. Peters, and near the Belvedere Community Center.

Take a book, leave a book.

If you’re looking for a new book, wanting to learn a new language or need to keep your children busy, you can stop by one of our little libraries and see if there are any books that may be of interest.

There’s a flip side to this. You must leave a book!

So if there are any books at home that you believe that someone else can enjoy, feel free to put them in any of the four libraries.

Love,
K1 Britannia Team

For more information about K1 Britannia Foundation Apprenticeship Programs or to donate click here.

December 22, 2018

Youth Sailing in the BVI

From the 2018 Commodore’s Report

JANUARY. A Hugh moment… the first youth sailing class after hurricane Irma.

As 2018 draws to a close, I would like to thank everyone who has supported the RBVIYC over the past year. The sailing community is an incredible family throughout the world and we are enormously grateful for all the contributions that have helped us get back on our feet since the events of September 2017.

Our youth sailing programme is returning to it’s former glory with active classes, watersports camps and racing activities. Toby McCullough joined the team from Northern Ireland in July, thrown in at the deep end to a busy summer of camps he is now running a maxed out after school and Saturday programme.

None of this would be possible without hard work and dedication to raise funds for new equipment, repairing equipment and keeping the faith in our young people.

It is a huge honour to acknowledge the generous contribution of one of our founder members, Mr Peter Haycraft, who enabled us to purchase seven of our new boats (four Optimists and three RS Fevas). At our annual awards this year, Mr Haycraft was awarded the Roslyn Griffiths Memorial Trophy for Outstanding Service to the Club which goes just a small way to expressing the appreciation of the club and our young sailors.

We would also like to recognize:

Manhattan Yacht Club – Optimist ‘Liberty’
West End Yacht Club – Optimist ‘Loyalist’
Quiz Night – RS Feva ‘Quizzical’

Nanny Cay, Doyle Sails, B+G, Conch Charters, Gene’s Bar and Grill, Golden Hind Chandlery, the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, Fresh Mango, the Charter Yacht Society, O’Neal and Mundy, TICO, Road Town Wholesale, Kyle Roose, Sam Childs and Sailor’s for Hope and all the individuals who have given donations, their time and their energy.

The new RS Fevas have proved to be an excellent addition to our fleet, loved by kids and adults alike so we are looking forward to really putting them through their paces in 2019…..

Season’s Greetings and fair winds for 2019.

Giles Wood, Commodore