Although the Rocking the Boat student body isn’t physically gathering at 812 Edgewater Road on the Bronx River each afternoon, it is nonetheless an active community. And this isn’t a stroke of luck. It is the result of the trust, teamwork, compassion, and meaningful connections that have been built into every Rocking the Boat programmatic experience. Whether working together to bend a steaming plank in place, tacking across the East River, or trawling for microplastics from a wooden boat, Rocking the Boat participants build bonds that transcend the physical. The attachment that holds our community together is strong and that bond will never be more critical than during this strange time. Rocking the Boat students will continue to learn, grow, and connect this spring.

Our program staff, working individually at home and collaboratively with colleagues both at Rocking the Boat and in their fields, are developing a distance learning curriculum in boatbuilding, environmental science, and sailing. On Monday, March 30, we will be launching regular programs via video conference in all six technical program areas. Our social work team will also be making the most of online platforms to offer group sessions to our Student and Job Skills Program participants, as well as individual support to students, alumni, and their families. We are confident that these steps will keep Rocking the Boat—one familiar and wholly positive experience—present in our students’ lives.