The. RSYC Trust is the Club’s charity arm which places young people at the centre of all it does.
The charity was
established in 2016 to promote the advancement of amateur sport, in
particular the provision of facilities and equipment, including the awarding of
grants to enable and encourage participation in sailing and associated
activities for the benefit of the public in the south of England.
A small group of trustees, ably
led by Graham Tracey, and chaired by past Commodore Brian Hinde, meet regularly throughout the year to plan
and coordinate on-the-water activities for young people at a range of waterside
locations in Southampton and at Gins.
Young people focus
While the children and
grandchildren of members are encouraged to contact us and take part in a wide
range of activities, the charity has focused on providing a learning and fun
experience for young carers.
Many young carers have a tough
time supporting members of their family, often juggling school
work, looking after siblings and their parents just to get by, so the
RSYC Trust provides a special time for them, when they can learn a new skill
like sailing or paddle boarding, develop team and communication skills and
sometimes get a bit wet too.
Summer programme
Throughout the summer we offer a
range of different activities to suit young people at all stages of confidence
in and around the water. For example we run sailing
taster sessions for complete beginners, and many your carers who first joined
us in 2016 have developed their sailing skills and moved on to the RYA Youth
Sailing Scheme.
The RYA Sailing Scheme has
provided to be a big hit with over 45 young carers achieving RYA certification
between stages 1 to 4. One of our aims is to build on this success and support
many more youngsters to work through the scheme.
During August we will be running
three Young Carer Family Days at Gins – on Tuesday 27 July, Wednesday 11
August, and Tuesday 24 August. The days are designed to give young people a
well-earned break and greater confidence on the water. Activities include
sailing, kayaking, paddle boarding , raft building,
river trips and crabbing. The young carers are invited to bring family members
to watch the action and to enjoy a picnic on the banks of the Beaulieu River at
Gins.
Sponsorship, grants and bequests
Offering these sorts of opportunities,
complete with life jackets, wet suits, paddle boards and dinghies is made possible by our strong focus on sponsorship, grants
and other forms of external funding.
Trustees regularly apply for
local and national grants and awards: the more income we are
able to attract, the more activities and experiences we can offer. For example during 2020 we were able to obtain 6 paddle boards
through a grant from The Skipton Building Society. Earlier this year we benefited from a
significant donation which was made to remember Stephen Parry, our late Rear Commodore
Sailing, and who was a great supporter of youth and Solent events.
This year, working in
conjunction with the Classis Young Sailors Foundation (CYSF) and The Island
Trust, with their generous support in the form of bursaries, we have also been
able to send two young people on a one week, financially supported, experience
of a lifetime, on board a replica Bristol
Channel Pilot Cutter, which is going to take part in the 2021 Classic Channel
Regatta.
In 2021 we have applied for several
grants from local voluntary sector funders and at the end of July learned that the Trust
has been awarded £2,021 by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation.
This is great news and means that we will be able to purchase additional equipment
and fund more young careers to take part in the RYA Sailing Scheme courses, which
are proving very popular.
If you work with an organisation
that has a heart, and maybe a social responsibility/charity budget heading, or
would like to make provision for a donation or bequest, please talk to us. RSYC 50/50 draw The Club’s own monthly draw is
an excellent way to support the RSYC Trust and has recently re-launched. The
draw is easy to join, with payment by Direct Debit and the rules are simple:
50% of the monthly pot goes to the lucky winner and 50% to the Commodore’s
charity, which is of course the RSYC Trust. Tickets cost £5 each (you can
pay for more than one per month if you choose). Just email gm@rsyc.org.uk. Joining
today means that you can be part of the next draw. You can choose to opt-in or
opt-out at any time (the full rules are on the website). Next time you are asked to
contribute to a charity, please think of the RSYC Trust and consider joining
the 50/50 monthly draw (you have a fair chance of winning half the monthly pot
over the next 12 months! Instructors and volunteers You can imagine that running on
the water activities requires on this scale requires endless planning, risk
assessments, DBS checks, a well-equipped first aid kit and unflappable
volunteers and RYA qualified instructors. This is true, but the benefits far
outweigh the costs. If you are an RYA instructor or
have youth work experience or are qualified to drive a powerboat/safety support
boat and would like to volunteer, please contact graham_tracey@hotmail.co.uk