Compass Project Youth Programs

The Compass Project is in its 8th year of helping at-risk youth learn new social, life and job skills through boat building. Since the beginning, our mission has struck a chord with students, teachers, principals, parents, social workers and funders. We have grown from serving 10 teenagers in our first group in 2002, to a well-established youth organization working with over 200 youth and 50 adults each year. Our emphasis is on providing experiential programs --free of charge-- to at-risk youth who struggle in school and are in danger of dropping out.

"It's great hands-on work... everyone works together...
one big brain working together to build a boat... Awesome."
A 15-year old student

Students in our award-winning programs attend semester and year-long boat building classes where they learn to measure, cut, fasten, and paint a traditional twelve-foot wooden skiff or build a larger dory. Working in teams, students develop communication skills, a facility with tools and the ability to problem-solve. Students' math skills improve as they use arithmetic and fractions while measuring and marking lines. Boat builders and adult volunteers provide positive role models, and students develop confidence in their skills and abilities. They learn to focus and persevere over the long period of time it takes to build a boat, and they learn how to fix mistakes that they thought were irreparable. Students learn that a complex project becomes manageable, because, as one Casco Bay High student observed, "Everything complicated can be broken down into many simple tasks."

In 2008-09, we worked with multiple partners -
Compass Project classes will include groups of students from three area youth organizations:

• Spurwink School, a residential treatment program;
• MaineStay, a Portland residential program; and
• Portland West, a program for adjudicated youth.

School collaborations include -

• Compass Boys, is an after school arts and boat building program with middle school boys combining projects such as sail-making and wood carving with the construction of Frosty boats.
• Lyman Moore Middle School, this program is becoming an annual after school tradition for students at LMMS as they assist in the progress of the many boats being built in the shop.
• Maine Advanced Technology Center, Brunswick, this pilot Composite Program is an exciting expansion to our variety of classes, both in content and geography. We will work with Youth Apprentices from Morse High School in Bath to begin a cutting edge composites training class.
• Reiche Elementary School, an interdisciplinary program engaging 4th graders in teamwork and motor skills through boat building while learning the ship building history of Maine, beginning with the Popham Beach Colony.
• Westbrook, The Dory Building Program - Now in its fifth year, in partnership with the Alternative Learning Program in Westbrook, students are building their fifth dory. The fleet of dories built in the program will form the basis of a Community Rowing Center for Greater Portland. The first dory, Globe II, was launched in June 2005.
• Youth Apprentice Program, our new program with Deering High School is entering its second year. Each semester, students learn a set of basic boat building skills and have the opportunity to practice math and reading and writing skills that will be needed on the job. The semester culminates in placement in a summer-long paying apprenticeship with a local marine business.