Five Juvenile Offenders Selected to Sail Across the Atlantic Ocean
SailFuture Utilizes the Open Water as an Alternative to Prison Incarceration
SailFuture Utilizes the Open Water as an Alternative to Prison Incarceration
SARASOTA, Fla., Oct. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Five juvenile offenders have been selected by SailFuture to participate in its Sail For Justice program that will compete in the 2015 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC), a sailing race that spans 2,700 nautical miles and features the most seasoned sailors in the world. The Sail For Justice program serves as an alternative solution to the current incarcerations for at-risk youths from urban centers like Los Angeles, Tampa Bay and others.
Details about the team and the program schedule can be found at www.sailfuture.org, along with opportunities for juvenile justice advocates and sailing enthusiasts to learn more and get involved.
According to Michael Long, founder of SailFuture, the program's goal is to use the sport of sailing as an innovative resource to fix a juvenile justice system that fails more kids than it saves. More than 100,000 juveniles are incarcerated on any given day, and 75% reoffend and return to jail within a year of their release, Long stated.
"This isn't about a sailboat race. This is about giving these young men a platform to prove that they are capable of change," said Long, who also serves as an advisor to Florida's Department of Juvenile Justice. "This is their chance to stand in defiance of the status quo and demonstrate that there are more effective ways to bring about justice than prison."
In addition to seamanship skills, the team will complete a comprehensive, onshore program where they will become advocates for a better juvenile justice system and receive job training and placement. Onshore training includes public speaking and creative writing workshops, along with learning the structures and socioeconomic factors that shape the juvenile justice system.
About SailFuture
SailFuture (www.sailfuture.org) is a 501c(3) based in Sarasota, Fla. The organization specializes in preventing youth incarceration and rehabilitating those affected by a broken juvenile justice system. Since 2012, SailFuture has worked with judges, state attorneys, public defenders and advocacy groups to design sailing-based programs that have transformed more than 150 lives. In 2015, the organization launched the Sail For Justice program that is making global headlines by fielding the first competitive sailing team of high-risk juvenile offenders from around the US.
For more information:
Sam Davidson
(+1) 816 668 8353
[email protected]
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151026/280629
SOURCE SailFuture
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