Young people and families often don’t have to cover the full cost of a voyage with us. If you are sailing as part of a group organised by a school, local authority, charity or youth club, do talk to them about how much you need to contribute – they may be able to help.
If there isn’t an organisation which can support you, and especially if you are hoping to come sailing on your own rather than as part of a group, can you raise some money for yourself? Maybe a sponsored activity, a cake bake, selling unwanted games, books, DVDs or clothes, doing odd jobs – you can ask us for advice and ideas; and if you are under 18, make sure that an adult you trust has approved of your plan.
If you have already done a voyage with us, enjoyed it and want to come again, you can enter the Chris Ellis Award – there’s an annual prize of money off the cost of another voyage for the best diary, logbook, story or picture from someone who has done a voyage with us. Age limit 11-25. Deadline is Christmas each year.
It might be worth applying to the James Myatt Trust, who fund people aged 16-25 to take part in sail training.
You might also be able to earn a discount on your voyage price by doing something to help the charity. For example, if you publicise our work (e.g. by spreading the word in a school, college, university or club, or developing an interesting social media campaign) and that brings us several more bookings who will confirm they heard about the opportunity through you, we might award you a discount. You might also get money off a voyage if you volunteer to help us at an event, such as a local boat show, or if you make us a fantastic new video. And if you help us with vessel maintenance (normally over-18s only but with occasional opportunities for 16- and 17-year-olds), that’s another way in which you might earn a discount. Email webmaster1@oytsouth.org if you have an idea that might qualify for money off the cost of a voyage!
Ocean Youth Trust South itself also has a limited amount of bursary funding available to help people aged 11-25 who cannot afford our full voyage prices.
Anyone can apply for help to pay for a voyage, but current funding priorities include:
* Young people from disadvantaged and deserving backgrounds
* Young people who genuinely cannot afford to sail
* Young people who can only afford short local voyages but with financial support would be able to take part in longer, more adventurous voyages
* Young people who have been recommended as future sea staff (bosuns and watchleaders) who need to sail again in order to gain experience
* Young people who have sailed with us before and demonstrated that they are enthusiastic, hard-working individuals who will have a positive impact on any voyage
If you are unsure whether you might qualify for a bursary, please ask!
Applications for bursary funding can be emailed to us and should include the following information:
- Name, age and full contact details for applicant(s)
- Details of availability for any vacant voyages (there may be more chance of getting a bursary if you are available for a choice of voyages, rather than applying for just one)
- How much money you are applying for, and how you plan to raise the rest of the funds, including travel costs to and from the boat. Please do think seriously about what you can afford: our funding is limited and the more we give to one person, the sooner the money will run out, leaving other applicants disappointed. Your application might say “I have raised as much as I can towards my voyage but I only have £375 and the voyage I want costs £475”, or you might say “Because of my circumstances [which you can describe] I can genuinely only contribute £50 and I am applying for £425.” If you really can’t raise anything at all and need a full bursary, do tell us about it. But what we will not consider is an application which simply asks how much we can give you, without telling us what you can afford and what you really need.
- A short statement about why you want to sail, what you want to achieve by doing a voyage, and why you would like to be considered for bursary funding.
- Contact details for an adult (not a family member) who will support your application (e.g. a teacher, youth worker etc.)