OceanCollege - School under Sails | 34 students 6 months on a sailing ship. Exploring 8 new cultures and teaching through the surrounding environment!

34 students 6 months on a sailing ship. Exploring 8 new cultures and teaching through the surrounding environment!

We are going to sail from Europe to Central America and back with 34 students aboard a traditional sailing ship. During this period the students live on the ship and are taught according to the itinerary in the academic core subjects. With this concept of teaching locally it will be possible in various ways to apply theoretical knowledge directly and to experience it.

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Funding period

2/14/17 - 3/31/17

Realisation

October 2017 bis April 2018

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Minimum amount (Start level): €

6,000 €

City

Berlin

What is this project all about?

We are convinced that todays education system in Germany doesn’t sufficiently prepare students for life after school. Understanding of one’s own personality, how to deal with conflict, and economic understanding just isn’t taught properly in the traditional school curriculum. OceanCollege transforms conventional teaching methods and the lives of the participants for six months in a sailing classroom. During this time, the students live on a traditional sailing ship and are taught their core subjects while traveling a route across the Atlantic Ocean and to Central America.

This concept of teaching through the surrounding enviroment makes it possible for students to directly apply the theoretical knowledge they’ve gained in class. With groups of no more than 10 students, individual help and instruction the students have the perfect space to learn. The language spoken on board is English and an intensive Spanish course is offered in Central America.

A boarding school sailing the seas requires discipline, commitment and teamwork from all members on board. On a traditional sailboat these qualities are especially important, as they are required day in and day out. Taking a shift on the guard, helping as a steward in the mess hall or swabbing the decks; the students will learn all positions and tasks you must be familar with on the ship. This nautical education finally leads to a “ship’s handover” where students will be able to take full command of our vessel.

OceanCollege also provides career-orientation courses to better prepare the student for their future career. The goal is to discover their potential, analyse and develop their individual talents, while at the same time encouraging their personal interests. On board, the students are given time to reflect their decisions during the watch or in group situations. A large part of our curriculum is the opportunity to be taught by external experts, who will be helping students with their projects. Attending labourers, entrepreneurs, professors, and lecturers are able to provide specific knowledge in their relevant areas of expertise and will offer courses in the these projects.

Another opportunity for the students is the trading project. Starting with a coffee harvest in Central America, the students will have the chance to export their own coffee from Costa Rica back to the European Union. This will provide realistic insight into topics like project management, logistics, marketing and offers a wide view on the positive and negative effects of globalisation.

Find out more about this spectacular project: www.oceancollege.eu

What is the project goal and who is the project for?

The aim of OceanCollege is the de-schooling of school and is partially inspired by Kurt Hahn, in 1941, Hahn developed a program called “outward bound“. Its core principle is allowing students to learn from real environments and experiences. Those principles shall empower our students to master the challenges of the 21st century.

We are looking for supporters with the desire for a sustainable, decelerated world! We are looking for supporters who want to rethink school! We are looking for supporters who are willing to send their children on their journey of a lifetime into a future full of possibilities!

We are looking for students who want to go beyond their own horizon. We are looking for students who are willing to reach their own personal frontiers and beyond!

Why would you support this project?

We need your support because we do not want only certain social classes taking part in this project. The more people from different parts of the community take part the more exciting OceanCollege will be. That is why we want everybody to take part. We want to make it possible for one or more students to travel with us backed by your financial support.

How will we use the money if the project is successfully funded?

We want to use the funding to support one or more students with a weak financial backround to experience their journey of a life-time. Therefore, the students can apply for a grant backed by our Startnext supporters, that is YOU! The students have to provide a letter of motivation to convince our team that they are the ones who need the funding the most.

Every Euro that exceeds the funding threshold will be used to support more students who applied. As of today, we already received several applications of students who cannot afford to join us on our journey. Therefore, every Euro counts and is a great help to support OceanCollege and their participants.

The full funding amount (after deduction of expenses for the use of Startnext and buying the rewards) will only be used for the support of applicants.

Find out more about OceanCollege crowdfunding: http://oceancollege.eu/de/crowdfunding

Who are the people behind the project?

The founders of the OceanCollege are Johan, Johannes and Falco.

Johan applies his educational experience to OceanCollege. He believes that learning is done best through individual and practical methods and should always include personal development. In 2008/2009 Johan was a teacher and project leader on a similar project and through this experience he knows the route and the life on the ship. Since then he has not been able to ignore the potential behind such a project, which led him to design OceanCollege. He is convinced that the current school system does not adequately prepare students for life and the career world. Johan connects his understanding of the multifaceted aspects of learning, with his experience as a trainer in rowing. He has studied history, politics, art, and media sciences as well as sport sciences, which he has applied alongside his theoretical education to create OceanCollege.

Johannes was a student on a sailing school himself. The trip had a great impact on him and it changed his world-view forever. Johannes studied International Wine Business and can share his knowledge in creative areas such as marketing and project planning. His focus is on the website, our social-media channels and the planning of excursions in Latin-America. Johannes is of the opinion that it should be possible to provide more people with the experience he had through a sailing classroom project. The number of students who finish their schooling and feel lost and without direction is not to be underestimated. Johannes’s opinion is that this ties in directly with a lack of practical application in the educational environment, as well as a need for a broader world perspective.

Falco, totally inspired by Johan, and a business lawyer believes in the potential of the project and stands behind it. Since his studies, Falco has become an advocate for a learning experience combining theory and practice. Humans need to personally experience the things they have learned, only then can their personality develop and broaden. During his career Falco has been a consultant and a project lawyer in a large law firm.

OceanCollege