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Celebrating International Women’s Day

11 Mar 2020

Endeavour Community Sailing welcomed female youth sailors and female entrepreneurs for an International Women’s Day event on Sunday, March 8.

A spokesperson said, “Endeavour Community Sailing, a registered charity in Bermuda dedicated to building self-confidence, teamwork, and life skills by engaging Bermuda’s youth in experiential learning, welcomed female youth sailors and female entrepreneurs for an International Women’s Day event on Sunday, March 8th.

“The goal of the Endeavour Women on the Water Clinic is to inspire, support, and connect female youth sailors from diverse backgrounds across Bermuda, foster their interest in sailing, empower them with opportunities to build their confidence and advance their skills on and off the water.

“The special event brought together 20 female youth sailors of various sailing levels representing eight schools [Sandys Secondary Middle School, Dellwood Middle School, Whitney Institute Middle School, Clearwater Middle School, Mount Saint Agnes, Somersfield Academy, Warwick Academy and Saltus] for a fun-filled day of learning and inspiration.

“The female youth sailors received an invitation to participate in the Women on the Water Clinic, as they are part of the Endeavour Graduate Programme, which they participate in because they demonstrated excellence in teamwork, respectfulness, listening skills, willingness to learn and overall effort during the Endeavour Middle School Programme.

“The Endeavour Middle School Programme engages every student in Bermuda during their first year of middle school in a five-day Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math or STEAM through Sailing experience.”

Moriah Wheddon, Endeavour Programme Instructor, said, “Endeavour Community Sailing prioritizes inclusion and diversity throughout our work with young people.

“Promoting women in sailing and maritime roles is very important as young women need to feel supported in pursuing their goals especially when sailing and the maritime industry overall has seen predominantly male involvement in the past.”

The spokesperson said, “Throughout the day the young women learned more about each other through some fun activities while sharing their sailing goals, interests, and career aspirations. They demonstrated their impressive knowledge of knots in a friendly competition and enjoyed making friendship bracelets to take home with their memories of the day.

“Local female entrepreneurs dedicated their time to engage and inspire the girls through interactive presentations focused on health, nutrition, wellness and sustainability.”

“Sophia Cannonier from Padma engaged the young women in an interactive yoga session encouraging them to take good care of their bodies and minds as the girls enjoyed a series of stretches and breathing exercises to prepare them for optimal performance on and off the water.”

Ms. Cannonier said, “I love the challenge of gaining the attention of the young ladies and sharing my knowledge with them about the importance of taking care of themselves. It takes a lot of perseverance and mental strength to continue striving for one’s goals in the face of obstacles.

“The Pilates Method and other mindful movement practices require just that. Making better choices for their bodies and minds is not an easy task. We cannot give up on our young people who require dedication, focus and patience. Endeavour is providing incredibly important opportunities for everyone involved.”

The spokesperson said, “Catherine Burns from Natural Nutrition broadened the girls’ knowledge of good nutrition as they learned the importance of living a healthy, balanced lifestyle. The female sailors enjoyed learning how to make a delicious snack for optimal performance that would replenish their energy. Huge thanks to Mile’s Market / Waterfront Group for donating the ingredients to make coconut chocolate cashew energy bites.”

Ms. Burns said, “Good nutrition is a powerful performance differentiator both in sports and the classroom. Not to mention it simply makes you feel better every day! When kids eat better we see significant improvements in mood, energy, focus, clarity, sleep and readiness to learn and engage in physical activity.”

The spokesperson said, “Jennifer and Mia Page, the mother and daughter team from Cassine, kindly shared their passion for healthy living and sustainability imparting their knowledge of green beauty and wellness that helped the young sailors to understand the importance of protecting Bermuda’s precious reefs by what they put on and into their bodies via personal care products with an emphasis on authentic reef-safe sunscreen.

“Proceeds from Cassine’s products support the Living Reefs Foundation.”

One of the female sailors reported, “I enjoyed how different people came to present things that had to so much to do with health. I enjoyed it because I learned many new things on different topics.”

The spokesperson said, “The afternoon concluded with the girls teaming up for friendly fitness and Blo’kart timed race activities, which enabled the girls to work together in teams.”

Renee Greenslade, Endeavour Programme Coordinator, said, “It’s wonderful to see the girls showing support for one another on and off the water. It’s amazing to watch bonds form amongst the female as they connected and learned from each other throughout the day.

“Many of them are from different schools and did not know each other at the start of the day, but we’re thrilled that many said that they made new friends at Endeavour.”

Jennifer Pitcher, Endeavour’s Community Engagement, Development and Partnerships Manager, said, “We wish to thank Catherine Burns, Sophia Cannonier, Cassine, Bonefish catering and Tuck Shop Bermuda for their kind support and helping ensure the success of the 2020 Women on the Water Clinic.

“We’re grateful to Endeavour’s valued supporters for enabling us to create a positive impact in our community, special thanks to Orbis Investments as Endeavour’s founding lead sponsor for their unwavering support of Endeavour’s work.”

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