I recently learned about Rocking the Boat, a wonderful organization in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx, one of the five boroughs of the City of New York.  Since 1998, the after-school program has been teaching neighborhood kids to build wooden boats. In the last 15 years, students have built about 50 vessels.  But Rocking the Boat is more than just boatbuilding. Their tag line is — “Kids don’t just build boats, boats build kids.”

Rocking the Boat provides their students with a safe place to work together with others, to set goals, learn skills and accomplish something real and tangible. The program also provides counselling and job skills training.  And yes, they build some beautiful boats. Their website notes that “seven Rocking the Boat Job Skills Apprentices are nearing the final stretch of a two-year effort to construct a 29-foot whaleboat on commission for the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut….for the Charles W. Morgan whaleship.”

Hunts Point is tough. It is one of the poorest, most crime ridden neighborhoods in New York City. Over half the population live below the poverty lines and receives public assistance. The average year family income is around $16,000, or less than a quarter of the average family income in the borough of Manhattan, which is only a few miles away. Only about 35% of all Hunts Point students graduate high school. For those students participating in Rocking the Boat, the figure is very close to 100%.  Many go on to college.

A short video about the program: