Sailing 2 Cohesion

Building community cohesion and independence through sailing & volunteering

Sailing 2 Cohesion aimed to empower and connect able with disabled children and young people, building a stronger sense of community and social cohesion in South East London.

Delivered in partnership with Tideway Sailability, a charity committed to making sailing accessible, Sailing 2 Cohesion connected our local community through sailing and volunteering. Working in Southwark (Greenland Dock), the project reached out to both able-bodied and disabled young people from marginalised backgrounds, helping them to build skills and connect with others.

Sailing is a hugely rewarding activity, allowing participants to develop self-confidence, learn team-building skills, gain a sense of autonomy, and connect with their community. Sailing 2 Cohesion brought young people with disabilities together with their able-bodied peers from different social, economic, and racial backgrounds. By helping them to work together as equals, participants brake down stereotypes, build bridges, and form friendships.

Participants learned how to sail using equipment specifically designed around disabilities, and aided by coaches with a huge amount of experience in accommodating people of any ability.

Project Aims

Sailing allows participants to develop a huge range of important skills. By learning how to sail, participants gained self-confidence, learn self-reliance, and become able to bravely tackle new challenges.

By connecting young disabled people with abled peers, the project helped to foster social cohesion, build friendships, and dispel stereotypes.

By reaching out to marginalised communities in Southwark, Lewisham, and other areas of South London where members of the community may be disadvantaged, Sailing 2 Cohesion helped to tackle problems which result from poverty and marginalisation, such as isolation, loneliness, and low self-esteem.

Activities: