Inspire is set to reach more than 500 UAE students during SailGP’s inaugural Middle East race week

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

SailGP’s dedicated community outreach youth programme, Inspire, is coming to the UAE for the first time as part of the Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas.

Housed at the all-new P&O Marinas Water Sport and Sailing Academy at Mina Rashid and supported by the Dubai Off-Shore Sailing Club (DOSC), the programme aims to provide life-changing opportunities for young people with a diverse range of backgrounds through its Learning, Careers and Racing programmes.

Having reached over   10,000 young minds since its inception, the Inspire program – SailGP’s gender-balanced youth and community engagement program – comes to the UAE.

It will see more than 500 students, aged between 9-15, participate in both on-shore and water-based learning activities, designed to captivate and educate across STEM Education modules.

Giving youngsters the chance to learn from SailGP’s awe-inspiring athletes, and educating them on the sustainable side of watersports, the program has been specifically developed to embody SailGP’s core principle of being powered by nature and will engage students in activities which are linked to wind, water, sun, and earth.

With only one month to go until SailGP hits Dubai’s shores, students participating in Inspire Learning will have the chance to build wind turbines, challenge the concept of buoyancy, and be introduced to sailing on RS21 boats. Registered schools and students can take part in the program for free.

Within the programme, Inspire careers will allow young people to work alongside SailGP professionals, joining various departments — ranging from hydraulics and shore team crew, to sustainability and hospitality – to witness the masters in action.

From 9-13 November, The WASZP Training Clinics will give more than 30 youth sailors the opportunity to try foiling and learn how to fly for the first time, testing their skills at high-performance sailing alongside professional coaches.

The Inspire Racing program also gives nine mixed teams of female and male sailors a once-in-a-lifetime chance to take center stage and race RS Feva boats in front of the crowds over the SailGP weekend.

Hamza Mustafa, COO of P&O Marinas, said: “Hosting a unique brand of racing like SailGP at Mina Rashid is a great honor. And it is a pleasure to share it with the youth of the UAE, opening up a new and exciting world for our youngsters through our Water Sport & Sailing Academy.”