As far back as they can remember, sisters Jaylene and Jazlene were dead set on joining Rocking the Boat’s afterschool program, just as soon as they reached high school. But that was a very long way off. They were only five and six years old when their mother, Marlene, began telling them about it. She was a Teaching Assistant at Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School, often accompanying her classes to Rocking the Boat for daytime programs. She would charm the girls with pictures and stories about riding in rowboats on the Bronx River. At seven and eight years old she brought them to one of Rocking the Boat’s Community Rowing days, their first time in a boat. The oars were too heavy for them to lift without help, but they were so excited. Someday, when they’re in high school, they thought, they’ll row by themselves.
Jaylene describes one day last fall when the plan changed. “It was the beginning of my 7th grade year, and Jazlene’s 6th and our mother picked us up from school and we asked why. She said, ‘You are joining the Rocking the Boat Middle School Program.’ And we were like ‘What? Middle school! When?’ and she said, ‘Today!’”
Long an organizational goal, Rocking the Boat launched a permanent afterschool program for middle school students in 2022. It functions as a comprehensive introduction to all the activities and experiential learning the Youth Development Program has to offer for a younger audience, and creates a smooth on-ramp into the high school program. Like its counterpart, the Middle School Program recruits from local schools and schools that have come to Rocking the Boat for daytime programs. The lessons are built around group boatbuilding and environmental projects, outdoor exploration on and around the Bronx River by oar and sail, and completing a set of technical and participation skills. They receive the dedicated support of a social work intern, who introduces practical topics such as personal boundaries and conflict resolution. One difference from the high school program is that instead of having to choose either boatbuilding, sailing, or environmental tracks, participants in the Middle School Program get to do all three!
Alex Severino, the Public Programs Manager, runs the program and is a Rocking the Boat alumna, joining when she was 15. “My goal is for them to understand that they can make a positive impact on their environment and in their community. They can see what this looks like when they collaborate with their high school peers. They get to meet the Student Program Directors and Program Assistants and are taught by the Job Skills apprentices. It gets them that much more ready and excited to step up into that program.” Earlier this month, the middle school class was invited for the first time to join the high school participants on a rowing trip across the East River to Queens. Alex was in the rowboat with Jazlene. “Everyone got to see that the girls have become awesome rowers!”
Most middle school participants continue into the high school program, the thorough introduction having helped them find which track they prefer. This summer, 10 will be joining the 9th grade Student Program! Jaylene and Jazlene differ on a lot of things, but they do agree on one: that sailing is where it’s at. “Being on the water can be so peaceful, but then one time there was a storm, and it was so intense.” This July, Jaylene is going to join the Student Sailing Program as a rising freshman. Jazlene, who practices knots while making her own bracelets, is on pace to join her sister in the program next summer. There is no doubt that Rocking the Boat will continue to be part of their lives for many years to come.
