8 minute read
BLUE SPIRIT
Hosted by Sail Boat Project, the Blue Spirit Laury Gratiet Bursary Fund grants sailing bursaries to young people. Dhara Thompson talks with Blue Spirit founder Solen Lees.
QBlue Spirit provides sailing bursaries for young people, how does it work?
A. Blue Spirit is a fund that provides bursaries to young people aged 16 to 25. Applications are open to any young person who would not normally be able to access sailing and who would benefi t from the enhanced well-being that sailing can give.
We work in partnership with two sailing organisations in the South-East and North-East of England – Sail Boat Project in Chichester and Ocean Youth Trust North in North Shields.
QYou set up Blue Spirit in memory of your son, Laury. Please tell us about him and his love of sailing.
A. Laury had a short but very intense life - he packed a lot into it! He was born and raised on the northern coast of Brittany, France. Growing up by the sea and 1km from the local sailing school, it was quite easy for him to learn to sail at resident rates during the summer holidays. He developed a passion for it, began sailing throughout the year and then went on to train as a sailing instructor.
As his concern for the environment grew, he decided he would only travel sustainably and was planning to sail across the Atlantic with his girlfriend.
Before he got ill, he was very gregarious, and loved people. He spoke four languages fl uently, played the accordion and loved Breton culture. One of my favourite memories was when he got everyone learning a Breton circle dance at a Ceilidh in Northumberland.
What everyone remembers about Laury is his beautiful smile. He had an infectious laugh and a warm heart and was sensitive, intelligent, stubborn, charming, lovable, idealistic, determined, affectionate – and sometimes infuriating!
QWhat do you think sailing and the sea can o er to young people facing challenges in their lives?
A. We lost our beautiful Laury to suspected schizophrenia in July 2020, when he died by suicide. Although his issues proved too much for him in the end, Laury always felt happiest when sailing, and it was his passion from the fi rst time he set foot in an Optimist aged seven.
I have read that one in four people will face a mental health challenge at one stage in their life and that our youth are the worst affected. At the same time, research shows that just being in blue spaces (like the sea) can have a positive effect on stress reduction and well-being. Add to this the multiple benefi ts of the activity of sailing itself, and the potential benefi t for young people is enormous!
Learning to sail helps develop essential life skills, it can bring you out of your comfort zone and challenge your perceived limitations; it can help increase your self-confi dence and resilience; it can teach you how to work with others and even lead a team and, of course, it can be great fun.
Blue Spirit is in memory of Laury, who loved spending time afl oat
Learning to sail can help build confi dence in young people
Being in blue spaces can have a positive impact on well-being As well as learning new skills sailing is great fun
QWhat do you hope to achieve with Blue Spirit?
A. I hope that Blue Spirit sailing bursaries will give young people a chance to experience the peace and the sense of well-being and achievement that sailing and blue space can offer.
An experience like this can be transformative. Its impact might last for a day, a week, a month, a year or a lifetime. It would be amazing if a young person found their path into a career in sailing, just as Laury was planning to do. And it would also be amazing if a sailing trip could help a young person fi nd friendship or a renewed faith in and enthusiasm for life.
Personally, I will be happy if just one young person fi nds hope and has their life transformed through one of our bursaries, but I also believe that this has the potential to reach hundreds of young people and impact their lives in some way.
QWhat has Blue Spirit achieved so far? A. We Crowdfunded almost £30,000 in May 2021, including a grant from Sport England. We have worked closely with Sail Boat Project, which houses our fund, to set up our operations and lay the foundations for our partnership.
In August and September, we funded our fi rst two sails with Sail Boat Project for six young sailors from the Shoreham-based ESTEEM – which offers vocational and professional development for young people – with overwhelmingly positive feedback.
QWhat do you have planned in 2022? A. We will continue working with Sail Boat Project, funding more sails for ESTEEM and hopefully young people who come to us through other organisations or independently.
In the north east – where I live – we will be starting work with OYTN. We have a fi ve-day sail booked by Newcastle College in August and two weekends in May that will reach a total of 36 young people.
Then there is our sailing trip to Brittany in the summer to raise awareness with my family about Blue Spirit and to get some young people out on the water over there. As I am not a sailor myself, I am quite nervous about this trip – but excited too!
Further down the line, we plan to fund sails in Brittany in association with the Glénans sailing school. A fi nal project for 2022 is a short fi lm. QHow can young people apply for a sailing bursary, and what can they expect?
A. All the details can be found www. sailboatproject.org/blue-spirit-sailingbursaries. Organisations can contact me direct via bluespiritsails@gmail.com if they want to get a group together or refer a young person to us.
A sail can take the form of anything from a ‘taster’ or day sail to a fi ve or sixday voyage. We ask for a small fi nancial contribution from the participant, or the voluntary organisation, if it is a group booking, and we ask the young person to commit to giving us feedback in some form.
Our bursaries cover everything directly related to the sail, including food on board and hire of sailing waterproofs. We can also consider helping out with travel costs to/from the port and costs for a carer if they need to come on board.
QHow can people support and contribute to Blue Spirit’s work?
A. Please help us spread the word, refer young people to us and like us on social media. The biggest way you can support us, however, is by donating. Our fund is fi nite and we rely on donations to keep us going and – hopefully – expand our work. Thank you!
www.sailboatproject.org/blue-spiritsailing-bursaries
Sailors’ Feedback
“The sailing trip was a great new experience for me. There is something about being on the water that is really relaxing and peaceful. It was an amazing way to let off a lot of stress. Getting out on the water is something I would like to start doing consistently.” Dan (20)
“We learnt a lot of things changed our mindset from negative and stress to a positive way. We had a good day and have learnt in life we have to move on sometimes from what has happened and that sometimes things happen for a reason, so thank you very much.” Mo (20)
“Before going on the sail, I felt tired and lethargic and afterwards I was ready to do anything, energised. I defi nitely felt happier after the sail and more confi dent, probably because I had done something I had not done before. What I liked the most was the scenery.” Skylar (17)
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