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Setting sail with skills for success
Kelly Ring reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - Many young adults aging out of the foster care system have a difficult time starting life on their own, but a new project is helping them find success.
The I CAN Foundation is taking six teens on a 90-day sailing adventure, where they will learn basic cooking, scuba diving, and how to take care of a boat.
"During their whole journey in life they've kind of just focus on surviving and so they've not had a chance to really figure out what is it they want to do," Elizabeth Sutherland, co-founder of Wisdom Project said. "They haven't had a chance to figure out what they want to do and where they want to go in life and I hope when they get on board this sailing yacht that it gives them the direction they are looking for."
Sutherland knows all too well what life is like for the teens. She aged out of foster care years ago.
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"They're going to get their first stamp in their passport, you know, and get to explore different cultures and destinations and just really learn new skills," she shared.
This is the first year for the mentorship project. Leaders hope the experience teaches the shipmates how to navigate life by navigating the sea.
"If I like it, then I might become a captain. So you, like, you never know what's in store for you. You never know," said Haynes.
The 100-foot boat maiden’s voyage will be in April. They hope to make four trips a year.