OnBoard Development Officers

Birmingham & West Midlands

Tom Davenport - Job Role Description

Tel: 01527 464025

Mobile: 07794 046109

Email: tomdavenport@rya-online.net

Staffordshire & North Warwickshire

Brett Cokayne - Job Role description

Tel:

Mobile: 07800 779302

Email: b_cokayne@hotmail.com

Northampton & South Warwickshire

Jon Sweet - Job Role Description

Tel:

Mobile:

Email: jonsweet@northamptonwatersports.com

The OnBoard scheme is an RYA programme developed to introduce sailing and windsurfing to more young people. Since its introduction, OnBoard has brought over 200,000 new young people into the sport, over 10,000 of who have become regular sailors. In the West Midlands, we have been responsible for over 1,500 new young people sailing or windsurfing.

Our role as OnBoard Development Officers (ODO) is to do three things:

- Promote sailing and windsurfing to young people
- Support the network of OnBoard clubs and centres in their provision of sailing and windsurfing
- Develop the links between schools and the network of OnBoard clubs and centres

To promote sailing and windsurfing to young people I work closely with teachers in schools across the region. My work in schools involves promoting sailing and windsurfing to teachers, making it as easy as possible for them to get their pupils on the water. I also have a lot of contact with the young people in their school environment, delivering assemblies, presentations and lessons to introduce them to the sport and get them out on the water.

The network of OnBoard clubs and centres has grown since the introduction of the scheme in 2007and a recent shuffle of the area and the appointment of Brett Cokayne as ODO for Staffordshire and North Warwickshire has had a really positive influence on this network. The clubs and centres now involved with OnBoard are:

OnBoard Clubs and Centres

Aztec Watersports
Birmingham Outdoor Education Centre
Draycote Water Sailing Club
Draycote Water Windsurfing (Onboard Surf & Sail)
Edgbaston Watersports
Sutton Sailing Club
Upton Warren Outdoor Education Centre
Youth Afloat

Development Clubs and Centres

Barnet Green Sailing Club

Walsall Outdoor Education Centre

Midland Sailing Club

The aim for OnBoard in the Birmingham and Worcestershire partnership in 2010 is to get MORE YOUNG PEOPLE SAILING AND WINDSURFING MORE. The plan is to do this by:

- More beginners – Working with as many schools, teachers and youth groups as possible to bring more new young people into the sport.
- Turning beginners into regulars – continued support for clubs and centres, members initiatives and packages, and inter school and inter-club regattas.
- Keeping the regulars sailing – continued support for your junior clubs.

If you have any queries about OnBoard, are interested in getting involved, or would just like more information then please do not hesitate to contact me.

Tom Davenport

OnBoard Developemt Officer

Birmingham & West Midlands

Youth Afloat, Arrow Valley Countryside Centre

Battens Drive, South Moons Moat, Redditch

Worcestershire B98 0LJ