Mission: The Hull Lifesaving Museum, a museum of Boston Harbor heritage, preserves the region's lifesaving tradition and maritime culture through collections, exhibits, experiential and interpretive education, research, and service to others. The museum's open water rowing programs in Boston Harbor educate young people about themselves while developing a constituency that takes stewardship for its maritime history. The deeds, traditions, and ethic of the 19th century coastal lifesavers -- Skills, Courage, and Caring -- are the foundation of the museum's exhibits and programs and its underlying commitment to working to impact society, and individual lives, for the better.
The Maritime Apprentice Program (MAP), operated by the Hull Lifesaving Museum at our urban facility in Boston’s Marine Industrial Park, is a Career Exploration program offering year-round training for young men and women in the custody of the Department of Youth Services. MAP creates viable, entry-level employees for the vibrant Maritime Trades industry in the port of Boston. Apprentices learn use of tools, basic carpentry, and marine electrical, plumbing, and engine systems. They also learn job readiness skills, workplace and financial literacy, and explore life skills in depth.
Working in our fully equipped boat shop in downtown Boston’s Seaport District, and on a fleet of traditional rowing boats in Boston Harbor, MAP assists young people annually in a spectacular transition from idleness and social alienation to high-level civic engagement. The program provides hands-on, shop-based training, supported by individual and group counseling, remedial and business education, and work readiness preparation.
Twenty students enroll annually on a rolling basis, and all receive a minimum of 2 years of services. The program operates 30 hours per week, M-F during July and August, and 24 hours per week, M-Th during the school year. All MAP enrollees without a high school credential are required to co-enroll in a GED or diploma-granting program with a MAP partner, usually a member of the Boston Youth Service Network (BYSN). All apprentices commit to a multi-year program of intensive training, education, counseling, and internships preparing for full-time careers in the Maritime Trades.
ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS
In order to be eligible for the Maritime Apprentice Program, interested enrollees must be DYS-committed, Boston residents ages 17-21and low income.
Participants must complete an application, interview, assessment, and intake process. Depending on individual circumstances, MAP welcomes students of all learning styles, including those with special needs. MAP is a physically demanding program operated in a working boat shop. MAP operates outdoors often, frequently on the water. Students do not need to know how to swim, but must be comfortable being outdoors and in a marine environment.