SailGP Inspire – the global league’s community, education, and outreach initiative – will relaunch in Bermuda at the opening event of SailGP Season 2 with an increased focus on inclusivity and diversity.
Launched in 2019 and building on the success of its inaugural season – when 3,000 young people were engaged through the program – SailGP Inspire will focus on providing experiential opportunities and new career pathways to the next generation. Not only will the program be gender-equal, but will aim to expand racial and socioeconomic diversity in the sport through three pillars: Learning, Careers, and Racing.
Starting with the season opener in Bermuda in two months’ time, every SailGP event in Season 2 will include a program 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 programs will be created within the local communities around SailGP event weeks.
SailGP CEO Sir Russell Coutts said, “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. 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.”
For the Season 2 opener in Bermuda on April 24th-25th, SailGP Inspire will partner with Endeavour – a Bermuda-registered charity and nonprofit. Endeavor engages diverse youth from across Bermuda in hands-on learning and career development opportunities that inspire experiential learning, foster career exploration, and sustain the future generation of sailors and maritime professionals.
Through Inspire Careers, Bermudian youth – including those who have completed the Endeavour Maritime Career Springboard Program in partnership with the Bermuda College Professional and Career Education (PACE) Division – will have an opportunity to gain hands-on, practical work experience and shadow a diverse range of roles available within the marine industry. Bermudian youths will gain experience and knowledge of key positions in SailGP, such as on-water operations, boatbuilding, rigging, photography, and videography.
Finally, Inspire Racing will target young sailors on the island and connect them with the sport’s pinnacle league, allowing them to experience high-performance, foiling sail racing.
Through SailGP’s partnership with foiling-dinghy manufacturer WASZP, there will be an incredible opportunity for 16 local youth sailors – gender-balanced with a focus on racial diversity – to showcase their sailing talents and foiling abilities during the SailGP event weekend. Applications are open until March 26 for sailors in Bermuda under the age of 21. Further details can be found at SailGP.com/InspireRacing, alongside Inspire Racing applications for the other SailGP events.
Throughout the Bermuda Grand Prix presented by Hamilton Princess, there will also be joint fundraising efforts by SailGP Inspire and Endeavour to help raise vital funds to provide further opportunities for young Bermudians in the future and leave a lasting legacy on the island.
Jennifer Pitcher, Endeavour’s community engagement, development, and partnerships manager, said: “We are thrilled to partner with SailGP to bring greater awareness to the meaningful work Endeavour is accomplishing in our community with experiential learning through sailing while increasing access to exciting opportunities that benefit Bermuda’s youth for years to come.
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