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After some forty
years, Toronto Brigantine Inc.’s tall ship, Pathfinder, with her newer sister
ship, Playfair, is still financially afloat, albeit tentatively.
In those 40 years,
thousands of young people have benefited from sail training provided
through the incentive "Building Character through Adventure."
Maintaining two
tall ships, even two comparatively small ships is not cheap and, for the
charitable organization, obtaining funds is not easy.
Convinced there
are always answers to difficulties, we’d like to suggest considering a
solution aimed at (1) increasing the use of these ships without
significantly cutting into the existing training programs and (2)
reducing the costs of maintenance and professional services by forming
some sort of affiliation with Ryerson University.
Ryerson University,
initially known as Ryerson Institute of Technology, has achieved immense
success by enhancing academic excellence with hands-on experience and
studies in creative arts.
In a number of
ways the Brigantines could profit from Ryerson expertise while Ryerson
would have the advantage of the tall ships as a practical base for
studies and research. Since the interaction would be a sort of trade off,
little or no financing would be required, and yet the savings and
benefits, as well as publicity and status, for both sides could be
considerable.
In a few
preliminary discussions, both Brigantine and Ryerson Alumni have been
enthusiastic and have offered ideas and help. Let’s hear what you think.
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