Forty students from the Isle of Man will face tough physical and mental challenges when they set sail on a tall ship next month.
 
Year 9 students from the Department of Education and Children’s five secondary schools, some with support from charities, will crew the 200-foot brig Stavros S Niarchos when it departs Liverpool on Saturday 5th April.
 
The vessel is owned by the Portsmouth-based Tall Ships Youth Trust and the voyage came about after Chas Cowell, the charity’s youth development and training officer, visited the Island at the invitation of John Knight, chief executive of The Children’s Centre, to talk to schools and agencies working with young people about the opportunities it could offer locally.
 
The six-day voyage is a follow-up to the highly successful Young Learners’ Conference held by the DEC in 2012, where young people from the five schools joined together for the first time for a learning experience in conference conditions.
 
Each of the Isle of Man students seeking a working berth on the Stavros S Niarchos had to undergo a four-stage application process that tested their initiative, independence and responsibility.
 
Julie Owen, Assistant Headteacher at Ramsey Grammar School, who is the organiser of the adventure, said participants wouldn’t just learn to sail proficiently – they would face mental and physical challenges and would have an experience they would never forget.
 
‘Young people will learn a wide range of practical, personal and social skills, all linked to the six Rs of the Isle of Man’s curriculum – resilience, relationship-building, remembering, resourcefulness, readiness, reflectiveness – plus a seventh ‘R’, taking on responsibility for themselves and others,’ Mrs Owen said.

‘The voyage will further forge learning links between the secondary schools and strengthen relationships between young people who may not otherwise meet. This is shared learning in an environment beyond, but complementary to, school.’
 
Mrs Owen said the 40 shipmates don’t yet know each other so a team-building session will take place on Thursday 27th March at St Ninian’s Lower School, Bemahague, so they can meet up. ‘They’ll also have a social media page where they can share their excitement and plans.’
 
Grant funding from the Tall Ships Youth Trust, together with contributions from the Lockington Marshall Trust Fund and The Children’s Centre, have kept the cost for participants low. The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has assisted the group with the cost of its ferry fares to Liverpool and confirmation of funding from The Admiral Feteris Foundation is also awaited.
 
Support has also come from the Isle of Man Arts Council as part of its Island of Culture 2014 celebrations. The ship will fly the Island of Culture flag and students will provide feedback and creative pieces as a legacy of their adventure when they return.