Over the years, Courageous has evolved to meet the needs of the community. As Charlestown became more gentrified, we knew we needed to do more to make access to our programs — and our sport — more equitable. Moreover, demand was growing for summer learning opportunities blending academics and fun, in response to research establishing that this type of programming is critical to addressing the summer learning loss that can leave less affluent students less ready to thrive in school than their more affluent peers.

So we established partnerships with schools serving students from underresourced neighborhoods and started a free program combining sailing, academic support, hands-on science, and swimming instruction; Swim Sail Science is still going strong today! As we identified necessary supports, we added school bus transportation, free meals, on-site social workers, year-round learning opportunities, free participation in more advanced sailing courses, and more.

Fast forward to the unprecedented challenges of the past few years. The pandemic hit our kids hard, and there is clear evidence that youth are still grappling with mental health crises and academic losses. The connections fostered at Courageous, the support of additional staff social workers, and our engaging environmental science-based academics proved to be critical in helping young people regain their academic and emotional footing. Our community has stayed strong, and even a last-minute, temporary move away from our Pier 4 home, now closed down for a year of repair, didn’t prevent 2022 from being one of our best yet...thanks in large part to all who have supported us and our kids.