Charting the Course: Newport Sea Base on Youth Development
OUR EXPERIENCE
Alongside Newport Harbor, with almost one hundred years of history as a maritime education center, Newport Sea Base is a nonprofit organization and community center. The Sea Base is dedicated to providing education in subjects such as oceanography, marine biology, keelboat sailing, rowing, canoeing, kayaking, motor boating, and other aquatic-related subjects. NSB offers a marine-oriented public education and recreation facility for youth and young adults. The base benefits the public in the form of offering knowledge, awareness, and understanding of the marine environment to anyone interested. It is open to all youth, and includes volunteer opportunities for those with or interested in gaining experience with aquatic recreation.“The heart of what we do here is hands-on learning which we believe provides the best learning experiences,” says ten-year senior program director Jack Nguyen. The Newport Sea Base prioritizes teaching young individuals about the ocean and inspiring a love of our harbor throughout the community. Offering different classes and volunteering positions around ocean activities, they provide a unique experience where connecting with the ocean and learning new skills happens everyday. Nguyen hopes that after interested young-adults attend programs at the sea base, they walk away with an understanding of the important resources and vast ecosystems under the waters of our very own Newport Harbor.
Volunteer opportunities range from ages fourteen to seventeen for children and any age for adults, including various aspects regarding individual interests. Some of the most popular volunteer options include the summer counselor in a training position (where youth assist with programs and help instructors in classes), captains (where adults can help rent out paddle boards or kayaks), and wood workers (where skilled volunteers can assist in their wood shop). Previous boating experience is recommended, but Sea Base also provides training opportunities.
Upon visiting Newport Sea Base, we enjoyed the scenic views of Lido Isle and toured Sea Base’s very own dock which houses rowing shells and sailboats. At the sound of a whistle, all students begin their sailboat race while volunteers in coach boats are alert and ready to help guide them with any boating mishaps. At the base, we toured the classrooms, the office building, the woodchopping room, and the sail lockers, in which volunteers spend their time assisting the staff. Newport Sea Base aims to inspire a “love for the marine environment in the hearts of young people” and provides a memorable by-the-sea experience for everyone.
THE MISSION
The Newport Sea Base offers various classes that educate interested individuals about marine issues and inspire a love of the ocean, its inhabitants, and aquatic recreational activities in all visitors. Through efforts to educate youth utilizing their programs, the base addresses the issue of awareness when it comes to our oceans and their importance.
Today, our oceans face problems like overfishing, climate change, pollution, and more.
Credit: Ascension-island.gov.ac
According to the US Department of State, “Over eight million tons of plastic waste enter the ocean each year.” In addition to that, an article published by National Geographic mentions that scientists expect that number to triple by 2040. The state department also expresses concerns about “illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing [that] threatens marine biodiversity,” and brings up how “climate change is impacting ocean currents and chemistry, [and] stressing marine species that are finely adapted to their habitats.”
However, despite how grim and dispiriting this may sound, many scientists, companies, and dedicated individuals have devoted many hours and resources to maintaining our oceans and working towards thriving aquatic ecosystems. The Newport Sea Base is one of these companies. Recognizing the problems that threaten our oceans, the sea base works to educate young minds about marine science through hands-on learning experiences so Orange County’s youth can spread awareness about these problems and gratitude for our oceans. From Woodwork classes, to oceanography, to shark dissections the Newport Sea Base is deeply involved with all ocean related activities and is a great place for interested volunteers willing to commit and learn about the coast.
For more information or to deeper understand the problems of our oceans visit the following sites: State Gov/World Ocean