Learning a Boat-load at Discover Summer

Teens in Discover! Summer's are learning a boat-load of new skills in their quest to refinish an old boat by the end of summer.  The project is part of Discover Summer's job readiness program which offers students ages 14 and older part-time paid work opporutnites during the 10-week program. 
 
Finding interesting and engaging work-opportuntities for students is an important part of Christine Morabito's job as Assistant Director of Children's Services, so she knew exactly what to do with a small beat-up sailboat from Special Tree's archive of old, unused stuff.
 
"Overall, the kids are enjoying the project," said Morabito.  "They're very excited about the outcome and getting it on the water." The students spend three days a week working on the boat at the InPro Operations Center, which is Special Tree's in-house vocational training facility in Wayne. 

Without a "boat expert" on staff, the students and staff have been spending a lot of time researching how to clean, sand, and paint the boat as well as finding a new mast.   "We're now working closely with a Marine store in Westland to enlist the guidance of experts to keep us moving in the right direction," she said.  Students need to finish the project by August 16th, the date they've set for the big boat launch at a metro park.

Here's a few pictures of the progress so far. There's more photos to come so check back often!



All hands on deck!

Let's get this project started!

Teamwork!

Making progress! 
Filling dents to smooth out fiber glass.