LONDON – December 16, 2019 – SailGP Inspire has joined forces with the World Sailing Trust, designating the global charity as the official charity of the league’s community and outreach program. The partnership will use sailing as a force for good, bringing access to the sport, education and sector career experience to a wide audience through SailGP and WST’s international reach. The partnership creates the opportunity to increase participation outside of SailGP’s championship calendar – featuring the world’s fastest sail racing – to take the Inspire program to new locations and broaden its reach.
With the support of the World Sailing Trust, SailGP’s legacy offering at each host venue will be developed and enhanced, with SailGP Inspire supporting core community programs across the world. SailGP revolutionizes sailing through technology, and Inspire brings this exciting feature to young sailors through interactive STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) classroom modules and online resources, eSailGP gamification, and on-water sailing experiences. A greater understanding of the science behind sailing will equip young girls and boys with key knowledge to access the sport and sail safely, as well as learn fundamental life skills while being encouraged to get on the water.
“As a global sports organization, we have a social responsibility to improve access and drive passion at the grassroots,” said SailGP Youth Program Manager Tom Herbert-Evans. “We do not want to reinvent the wheel but create accessible aids to enhance existing organizations that are already doing incredible work on the front line.”
The World Sailing Trust will also support SailGP Inspire to raise funds for its outreach program as part of the Trust’s Youth Pathways work, which helps young people gain access to sailing and develop their skills. Together, WST and SailGP Inspire will work with local partners to identify areas of opportunity, tailoring outreach work to local communities.
“We are really excited to partner with SailGP Inspire, the first project within the Trust’s Youth Pathways program,” said World Sailing Trust Chair Dee Caffari MBE. “SailGP Inspire aligns with the Trust’s mission to grow participation in sailing, support young sailors to develop their skills and to enhance sailing as a sport. We’re looking forward to working with SailGP to achieve brilliant impact through outreach activities across the world and will work in partnership to develop the Inspire program to benefit as many young people as possible.”
SailGP Inspire’s founding partners RS Sailing, WASZP, Rooster and MarkSetBot will provide resources to program sites to further the outreach of the initiatives and help build a legacy in each of the communities visited.
“As an annual, global championship featuring cutting-edge technology and awe-inspiring athleticism, we have the tools to ignite and inspire the next generation,” said SailGP Chief Operating Officer Julien di Biase. “However, it is critical that between and after each SailGP event we continue to engage and inspire the future generation. With the support of the World Sailing Trust we will not only be able to achieve this, but also reach young people in locations outside of our current event calendar which will help to further the impact of the program.”
Tickets for Sydney SailGP are on sale at SailGP.com/Sydney.
ABOUT SAILGP INSPIRE
SailGP Inspire uses sailing as a force for good and a tool to build life-long skills and career pathways. A first-of-its-kind global youth sailing and career program, it focuses on community, education and outreach, and is SailGP’s way of building a sustainable sport. With three distinct programs – Learning, Careers, and Racing – SailGP Inspire is delivered through local partnerships with community groups at each of the SailGP event venues. Helping to deliver the program is a group of like-minded partners, including RS Sailing, WASZP, Rooster, MarkSetBot and World Sailing Trust, which combine to provide the technology and equipment to help make SailGP Inspire possible both on and off the water. Visit SailGP.com/Inspire for more information.
ABOUT WORLD SAILING TRUST
The World Sailing Trust (WST) is a charity established by World Sailing (WS), the international governing body for the sport. WST has three broad areas of work which aim to support the development of sailing and protect the waters our sport depends on. WST’s partnership with SailGP Inspire is the first partnership in WST’s Youth Pathways program, representing an opportunity to get more young people into sailing, and develop their skills on and off the water.
WST is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1182203). WST works in partnership with organizations across the sailing community and beyond to further our mission. Visit worldsailingtrust.org for more information.
CONTACTS
Molly Riihiluoma, SailGP Youth Marketing & Communications Coordinator
mriihiluoma@sailgp.com | UK: +44 7408 956495
Sacha Kemp, SailGP Head of PR
skemp@sailgp.com | UK: +44 7772 577129
Hannah Hoare, World Sailing Trust Head of Fundraising
Hannah.Hoare@worldsailingtrust.org | UK: +44 7741 907 951
