The
Spirit of America Youth Education Program was started by Harry
L. Allen, Jr., in 1995 in Lake County, Ohio. With the help
of Cecilia Duer, Executive Director of the Spirit of America
Foundation and the National Water Safety Congress, the program
received a grant from the U.S. Coast Guard Office of Auxiliary
and Boating Safety in 2005 to begin expanding nationwide—a
tremendous achievement for a program that began with one man’s
vision and his own, donated boat.
An
innovative summer activity for children who have just completed
the seventh grade, in most places, the class combines a
summer-camp atmosphere with classroom discipline. Students
delve into an 8-week course that takes them from a classroom,
where they are given a tailored version of their NASBLA
Approved State Boating Education Course (8 – 16 hours),
to the water beginning with a Water Smart From Your Start
pool program to review lessons learned in the classroom
and prepare for the inevitable and not so inevitable on
the water, to six hours of instruction piloting jon boats,
sailboats, canoes, kayaks, rowing, personal watercraft,
and a large vessel (ie: law enforcement or US Coast Guard)
experience, set up by the facilitating organizations to
best fit everyone’s schedules. In between, the kids
also earn their State Boating Education Certificates—the
real, full-blown, adult version. All of this at a total
cost to the families of—nothing!
Overall, the program is designed to teach the young people
safety techniques crucial to anyone who pilots a boat: what
to do when a man is overboard; how to operate a fire extinguisher;
and ensuring that all men onboard are wearing proper safety
gear (life jackets) before heading out.
In addition to the educational components, the program
offers additional benefits. Children have the opportunity
to practice exercising good judgment and taking responsibility
for their actions in a variety of boating settings and situations.
Additionally, they are exposed to multiple teachers who
approach safety and education issues from various perspectives,
allowing them to observe different approaches to solve a
problem or remedy a situation.
The newly-awarded grants, made possible by the National
Water Safety Congress’ relationship with the U.S.
Coast Guard, makes it possible for this state-side program
to now go national... one state at a time. The program is
now open and available in Ohio, Iowa, Mississippi, and Tennessee,
with many other states on the list and ready to open.
From humble beginnings—a class of 58 kids in 1995—to
a roster of more than 5,500 students to date, Spirit of
America promises to make an impact on boating safety education
among the youth of our country. By offering a real, hands-on
boating experience, this program is opening up new worlds
for thousands of kids, and saving the lives of future boaters
in the process.
