The Alexandria Seaport Foundation (ASF), in Old Town Alexandria Virgina is a community boat building program that helps young people turn their lives around and provides families, community groups, and schools with meaningful educational, social, and recreational experiences. Since 1992, ASF’s main focus has been a paid, work-based apprentice program serving DC, Maryland and Virginia. The apprentice program takes in disadvantaged youth from the ages of 17–21 many of whom have been in t
rouble with the law, and uses boat-building to teach them academics and carpentry. The participants develop the discipline, self confidence, social skills and the positive work ethic necessary to find a meaningful place in the regular workforce. They get paid to build boats,and earn their GEDs and driver's licenses. Graduates get tools, assistance in purchasing a used car, and a full-time job in a building trade.
Their community boat building program has become the model for family and community boat building events around the globe, some of which you may have heard of. There are family events hosted at most of the wooden boat festivals each year.
It's not everyday that one comes across a community outreach program of this caliber. A few summers ago, (2004) I had the opportunity to visit ASF and meet the executive director, Joe Youcha. The purpose of my visit was to learn about his program with the intention of creating a local community boat building program here in Indianapolis. I had an invaluable conversation with Joe; my visit with Joe and volunteer Paul Weeks at AFS was a memorable couple of hours. I have been revisiting these thoughts again lately. The following is a ten minute recent video created by American University Anthropology and Film students about ASF.
ASF has recently received a grant to expand their facilities. The new, up-to-date training facilities will provide apprentices and volunteers with heated shop space and additional classroom space. They will be able to take their program to the next level and take on more apprentices. Stop in at their website and learn more about:
The knowledge, lore, and skill of this fine craft of boat building we all love must be passed down to our youth. I hope that learning about ASF and their programs will give you incentive to reach out and share boat building with the youth in your communities.
Also, attached below is a great article about ASF and Joe Youcha and an interview with Joe on National Geographic Weekend, a relatively new radio show hosted by Boyd Matson.
