Endeavour Hosts Women On The Water Event
Endeavour recently hosted the fourth annual Women on the Water event in honour of International Women’s Day.
A spokesperson said, “Endeavour is a registered charity and nonprofit that engages Bermuda’s youth in experiential learning through sailing that builds their self-confidence and life skills.
“Endeavour aims to improve access for young people of all backgrounds, skills, and abilities to be represented in the sport of sailing and more widely in the maritime industry, including greater participation by young females.
“Since 2015, Endeavour has engaged over 5,684 young people across its programmes, with 50% being females overall and the highest representation in the Endeavour Graduate Programme, with 62% females participating from 2020 to 2021.
“Endeavour’s commitment to gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls throughout its programmes aligns with Goal 5 of the United Nations UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“The total percentage of female seafarers working in the global maritime industry is just 1.3% according to figures released by the International Maritime Organisation [IMO]. This equates to approximately 24,059 women seafarers out of a total workforce of 1.5 million. While trends appear to be increasing for more females to be employed in the maritime industry, there is still much work to be done in this area.
“Since 2018, 54 young Bermudians ages 16 and older have benefited from participating in the Endeavour Maritime Career Springboard Programme, including nine females – a roughly 20% female participation rate.”
16-year-old CedarBridge Academy student and 2022 Springboard Grad Nijanae Pemberton said, “I was one of four females amongst the cohort of 14 young Bermudians in the 2022 Endeavour Maritime Career Springboard Programme and three of us completed the Royal Yachting Association Dinghy Instructor course offered as part of the programme.
“It is amazing to see other young females who are interested in pursuing sailing and maritime opportunities come together and support each other along the way while inspiring younger female sailors as they see what we have achieved and feel that they can do it too.”
The spokesperson said, “International Women’s Day is a UN-sanctioned global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women, raises awareness, and marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity, and inspires support for organisations that support women globally.
“On Sunday, March 20th, Endeavour hosted the fourth annual Women on the Water event in honour of International Women’s Day to ‘inspire, empower, and connect diverse female youth sailors to foster interest in sailing and maritime initiatives while providing skills development and networking opportunities.’
“The 2022 event brought together 21 young women ages 11-19 years old from across the Island for a fun-filled day of empowerment and inspiration. They represented 12 schools including: Bermuda Centre for Creative Learning, Bermuda Institute, CedarBridge Academy, Sandys Secondary Middle School, The Berkeley Institute, The Bermuda High School, Mount Saint Agnes, Saltus, Somersfield Academy, Warwick Academy, Whitney Institute Middle School, and home schools.”
Danielle Frith, Endeavour’s Community Engagement Coordinator, said, “We are grateful for Endeavour’s youth volunteers who volunteered their time and talent contributing to the event’s success. They represent some of the female youth sailors who first participated in Endeavour’s programmes six years ago who completed the Endeavour Assistant Instructor Programme and now lend their time to support and inspire younger sailors.”
Ms Pemberton said, “It was such an awesome day seeing all of the female sailors have fun together. This special event encourages female youth sailors of all backgrounds to continue to get involved with youth sailing activities. Promoting women in sailing and maritime opportunities is critical as young women need to be supported toward accomplishing their goals and ensuring their achievements are recognised and celebrated.”
Ruth Mello-Cann, 17-year-old Berkeley Institute student and 2022 Springboard Grad, said, “The Endeavour Women on the Water event is an inspiring day to be a part of! I was thrilled to be a part of this event again this year supporting female youth sailors with diverse interests and different levels of sailing for a fun-filled day on and off the water.
“It is rewarding to be a qualified instructor this year to be able to support the on-water aspects of the event using my skills and qualifications achieved during the Endeavour Maritime Career Springboard Programme. The positive vibes throughout the day as the girls made new connections and friends was definitely a highlight. I look forward to seeing more female representation in sailing and the maritime industry in the future.”
Jennifer Pitcher, Endeavour’s Community Engagement, Development and Partnerships Manager, said, “We are inspired by the phenomenal young women who we meet during their engagement in Endeavour’s programmes. We are grateful for the opportunity to support their growth and we love seeing their confidence thrive as they build new skills and gain new experiences.
“We wish to thank our amazing volunteers Amy Taylor and Phoebe Twigg who dedicated their positive energy to ensure the success of the 2022 Women on the Water event. Special thanks to our guest speakers who shared their passion and expertise to inspire and encourage our female sailors to reflect on the importance of self care and positive self-esteem.
“Sophia Cannonier of Padma Bermuda led an interactive yoga session and Allison Lacoursiere of Clear Coaching facilitated a goal setting and vision boarding workshop to encourage the girls to plan for their futures.”
Allison Lacoursiere, CEO of Clear Coaching, said, “It is an honour to be a part of a young woman’s journey of self discovery, self belief, creating a big, bold future and helping them truly know that they can achieve anything from a young age! The future is female and it starts with the personal belief that anything is possible!”
Sophia Cannonier, Owner Padma Bermuda, stated, “The work Endeavour is doing is more important than ever recognising what our young people are going through, especially young women, focusing on building resilience, courage, and to strive for the best version of themselves. It’s a pleasure to teach them.
“Build your life with women that empower you, that help you believe in your magic and aid them to believe in their own exceptional power and incredible magic too. Women that believe in each other can and will survive anything.”
The spokesperson said, “Endeavour would like to thank Salt & Cedar who generously donated beautiful eco-friendly gifts for all of our Women on the Water participants along with Tuck Shop for donating delicious cupcakes, and Bonefish Catering who helped us ensure a healthy lunch for everyone.
“We are grateful to Endeavour’s valued donors and supporters for enabling us to create a positive impact in our community, in particular for Endeavour’s founding lead sponsor, Orbis Investments, for their unwavering support of Endeavour’s programmes and community engagement.
“Visit www.endeavour.bm to learn more about Endeavour’s work with Bermuda’s youth.”
