Welcoming young people in difficulty during educational stays at sea
Cédric Bar founded the Vent du Large association in 2005 with the idea of offering sea trips lasting several days to young people in difficulty. In collaboration with prevention clubs, social centers, child welfare services and, in recent years, in partnership with the South-East Youth Protection Agency, he organizes several trips per year on his First 35, leaving from Sormiou (Marseille) and sailing to Corsica.
on board, it receives minors under the law who come from either Open Educational Units, where the young people are monitored at home by educators, or from Closed Educational Centers, a kind of alternative to prison for minors, where they are supervised by educators.
"I am an activist and spokesperson for this project. I love working with young people. Over time, we have developed longer stays, more or less committed depending on the profiles of the young people and the educators, until we came to the conclusion that we needed intensity in the stays. This is why we spend at least one night at sea. In 2021, we have organized 5 such stays." explains Cédric Bar.
A week of sailing between the continent and Corsica
These round-trip trips (with group exchange) between Marseille and Corsica last between 7 and 10 days with several stopovers at anchor on the mainland and the island of beauty before a scheduled arrival in Ajaccio.
"This one-week stay takes place over 3 periods. The young people on board have never been on a boat before. There are 2/3 days of setting up and learning the rules of navigation and safety. Then 24 to 36 hours of sailing to complete the crossing, the highlight of these educational stays. The boat is not equipped with a pilot, so everyone steers and takes their watch. We involve them in the navigation. Finally, we stay on site for 2 to 3 days to visit the northwest coast of Corsica. This program can vary according to the weather" explains the founder of the association.
Provide them with an exciting and rewarding experience
The average number of people on board is 6: 4 young people accompanied by one or two educators for open environments and 3 young people and 2 educators for closed environments. Each time, these groups are accompanied by Cedric who plays the role of skipper and encourages these young sailors for a week.
"I supervise the sailing, but I am used to managing these groups. I have already done 35 crossings on Corsica with young people. The objective is to involve the young people to the maximum according to their capacities. We motivate them all the time. It is always the young people who are at the helm. I intervene for the maneuvers. Some young people are also interested and participate. But the objective is that the young people ensure this crossing. Once they arrive, they feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. Cut off from the world, without a telephone, the young people reflect and live an exhilarating and gratifying experience" adds Cédric Bar.
Besides the navigation aspect, life on board is also important. Everyone is in charge of cooking, cleaning and tidying up.
One of the other objectives of these stays is the educational scope.
"We develop the relationship between educators and young people. This common experience, this slice of life when we are not sailors, allows us to create bonds and to facilitate the link when we return to the structure. The educators work differently with the young people on their return and gain months of trust develops Cédric Bar.
Organization and reassurance, key to success
To organize these stays, several months of preparation are necessary. Cédric meets with the educators and then with the young people to present the project and answer their questions. Nothing must be left to chance.
"It's a real challenge! No two trips are ever the same. We explain to them how it will happen and where we will take them. We also explain them the life on board euros no shower, limited water. The young people have the opportunity to ask their questions to remove any doubts and to make sure that there are no misunderstandings in the preparation. When we can, we also try to offer them one or two light sailing sessions. This allows them to learn, but also to establish a link and to get to know each other, especially for those who are in an open structure. As for the educators, they are not parachuted in and are very motivated."
Future projects
The association has just bought a Sunkiss 47 with the same capacity, but in a larger boat and is considering new projects such as a transatlantic race.
