Maritime Adventure Programs
The OYCYF Maritime Adventure fund serves teens, from ages 12 through 18, through camping experiences that feature maritime activities.
Our focus is on youth to facilitate powerful maritime experiences that educate and inspire teens, with the goal of delivering high quality leadership opportunities. Sailing, scuba diving, community service and marine biology adventure camps for teens is what we’re all about.
We believe that participating in maritime activities allows teens to learn new skills as well as teach them the importance of teamwork and positive attitudes in accomplishing goals on and off the water.
To that end, some of the camps that we may sponsor include, Catalina Camps, Top Sail, and Outward Bound. Catalina Camps and Top Sail are located in Southern California, while Outward Bound Sailing Adventure is headquartered out of Maine.
Applicants must be 12-18 and have an interest in or previous experience in outdoor overnight trips. Our goal is to make the outdoors accessible to everyone regardless of background, ability or socioeconomic status.
This is a Restricted Fund and can only be used for Maritime Adventures, as described. Thanks to your donation, we will be able to advance this program.
Established in 1922, Catalina Island Camps operate a 2 week coed summer residential camp for first through 10th graders. The programs offered are built around it’s mission of developing life long skills through fun and unique outdoor experiences in a community that cultivates respect for self, others, and the environment.
The summer camp offers swimming, kayaking, canoeing, stand up paddle boarding, hiking and exploring located at Howland’s Landing on Catalina Island.
Located in Los Angeles, the TopSail Youth program is a part of the Los Angeles Maritime Institute, and is an education and adventure experience aboard a tall ship consisting of day sails, voyages, or both. The program offers real life experience in problem solving, decision making, planning, self reliance and leadership.
Offered to any school or organized youth group, the curriculum consists of seamanship, navigation, sail training, and marine environment .
Each summer, the Institute also offers the 5 day Tall Ship Adventure Camp for youth ages 6-17 and the 12 day Tall Ship Voyager Camp for students ages 10-17.
For fifty years and with more than one million participants, Outward Bound leads the way in outdoor adventure and education for youth and adults with locations through out the US and internationally. Courses range in length from 4 days to 3 months.
The classic Sailing Expedition for high school students helps develop their passion, their skills, and inspires strength of character, teamwork, leadership and service to others. The Sailing expedition takes place in a 30 foot sailboat where the group works closely together using wind and oars to power their way. Youth learn the crafts of maneuvering under sail, coastal navigation, and more.
The Ocean Institute is nationally known for its award winning, hands-on marine science, environmental education and maritime history programs. Students, families and the general public become tall ship sailors, research scientists, oceanographers, and explorers while immersed in Ocean Institute programs.
The Ocean Institute, located in Dana Point, was founded in 1979, and is a community based nonprofit organization that educates 100,000 children, teachers, parents and visitors annually.
The OYC Youth Foundation (OYCYF), as a part of its mission to provide maritime activities for youth, sponsors trips to the Marine Institute. The activities include: Fin-tastic artifacts, shark touch tank, squid dissection, walking in the tide pools, story time whale talk, sea star touch tank and the Maritime History Center.