SailGP Relaunches Inspire Programme For Season 2
SailGP has announced that its community, education and outreach initiative, SailGP Inspire, will relaunch in Bermuda at the opening event of the global league’s second season, with an increased focus on inclusivity and diversity.
The programme aims to leave a lasting legacy in all eight grand prix host countries in 2021/22, and will build on the success of its inaugural season – when 3,000 young people were engaged.
This season, SailGP Inspire will focus on providing ‘experiential opportunities and new career pathways’ for young people, with the 2021 programme aiming to ‘expand racial and socioeconomic diversity’ in the sport through three new pillars: Learning, Careers and Racing.
Following SailGP’s Race for the Future agenda, SailGP Inspire will promote diversity in sailing while also playing its part in building a sustainable sport, targeting 10,000 young people by 2025.
Starting with the season opener in Bermuda at the end of April, every SailGP event in Season 2 will include a programme in partnership with World Sailing, National Sailing Federations, and local community clubs and programs.
In coordination with each host venue and SailGP Inspire partners RS Sailing, WASZP, Rooster, MarkSetBot, World Sailing Trust, ePropulsion and Doyle Sails, impactful programmes will be created within the local communities around SailGP event weeks
“We recognize the unique position we are in to be able to use our platform to champion diversity and inclusivity and help drive meaningful change in our sport,” said Sir Russell Coutts, CEO, SailGP.
“Through Inspire, we want to break boundaries and ensure the amazing opportunities we have in our sport are able to be enjoyed by a broader range of people.”
The programme will kick off in Bermuda at the opening SailGP event of Season 2, partnering with local charity Endeavour, which provides career development opportunities in the region with the aim of sustaining the future generation of sailors and maritime professionals.
SailGP will also enlist its partners, including Official Host Partner Bermuda Tourism Authority, Title Partner Hamilton Princess and its Event Partners West End Development Corporation (WEDCO), insurance firm BF&M, global reinsurer RenaissanceRe, and offshore bank and trust company Butterfield Group, to work with Endeavour to deliver its program on-island.
The programme will engage young people in Bermuda around a series of sustainable STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths) learning activities designed to teach students about sustainability and the transition to clean energy with an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the SailGP Technical Area. It will also give students hands-on work experience across a range of roles available in the marine industry and SailGP itself.
