Our Mission is to offer young people on the island of Ireland, and our diaspora, the best possible youth development and educational opportunities at sea. Incorporated will be peace and reconciliation, job creation, tourism, enterprise, and adventure.

Objective

Our objective is to bring young people from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland together for youth development voyages on a purposebuilt tall ship. This is not about teaching people to sail; it’s about developing the selfesteem, teamwork, leadership, and communication skills of fifteen to eighteen-year olds. At the same time, we will play a significant role in furthering peace and reconciliation on the island. In addition, we will help the island reach its maritime potential through education, sport, tourism, employment, innovation and enterprise.

Programme

The annual programme will be focussed on five to ten-day youth development voyages. Forty trainees will be recruited for each voyage,
(twenty males and twenty females) from forty different schools or youth groups across the island. This will help create a cross section of society on each voyage. A panel of experts has been advising the Trust on all aspects of the programme. Below is a short video to see what the trainees say about the voyages.

Impact

Over 1,000 youth development trainee places a year, 100 youth rehabilitation opportunities a year, thousands more introduced to the sea, tall ship races attracted to the island, tangible diaspora engagement, consistent maritime economy stimulus, all over the 30+ year lifespan of the ship.

Why

There are numerous benefits, qualitative and quantitative, for what we're doing.

Here are a few:

• to offer unique youth development opportunities to over 1,000 young people a year.
• to consistently bring people, young and old, together from all over the island of Ireland.
• to create a Flagship that will represent the island on an international platform.
• to help bring tall ship races to the island and the knock-on economic impact of doing so.
• to connect with the island's diaspora in a novel way.
• to help the island reach it's maritime potential.
• to create jobs, maritime and other.
• to build and develop a pool of volunteers.
• to inspire future leaders.

Atlantic Youth Trust 

Registered Charity Number- CHY21079