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Planning is already under way for next year's BLAKE Inspire for Sailors after 20 young sailors recently completed the fun-filled five-day environmental leadership programme.
The programme is a collaboration between BLAKE and Yachting New Zealand and focuses on the environment and the haste with which we need to act to minimise the impact of climate change.
The youngsters aged 15-17 undertook a range of activities, including spending three days aboard Steinlager 2 sailing around the Hauraki Gulf and learning more about environmental issues, exploring Tiritiri Matangi, visiting Team New Zealand's base, learning more about Yachting New Zealand's Clean Club programme and hearing from leading environmentalists.
This was the second year the programme has been run and plans are already in place to run the next in May 2023.
Freya High from the Nelson Yacht Club had a simple message for anyone contemplating applying for the programme.
"If anyone’s thinking about doing Blake Inspire for Sailors I would say just apply, 100 percent," she said. "It’s such an awesome and unique experience.
"You learn a whole range of different leadership skills and hear from some really inspiring people. It’s given me an awesome understanding of the issues facing our environment and what I can do to help in my community."
All 20 students returned to their clubs with an idea and action plan to improve at least one area around the club's sustainability efforts. Many have already arranged to speak with their club committee about it.
Lara Teodorescu, who is keen to explore whether solar panels can be installed at the Bucklands Beach Yacht Club and also help them achieve Clean Club certification, said the course helped her map out her future beyond secondary school.
"In terms of my future, I’ve always been torn between architecture and engineering and my passion for the environment and sailing and I think coming to this programme has helped me realise these two interests don’t have to be separate," she said. "I can actually combine them and make a career out of whatever I’m passionate about."
Applications for next year's BLAKE Inspire for Sailors programme are likely to open in March next year so keep an eye out for that and talk to your club about what you can do to help with their environmental efforts.
- Lara Teodorescu takes the helm of Steinlager 2. Photo: BLAKE.
