The Windseeker Foundation (WSF) and its partner organizations launched this project in 2023 to better support youth workers and crew members on Sail Training ships in providing high-quality guidance to young people. Following the success of the initial training, they have decided to repeat the program in the spring of 2025. Sail Training has proven to be effective as a non-formal learning method towards the personal development of young people. Each year youth workers, along with the crew, work on board Tall Ships to support the youngsters on board to reach their goals. As it can be an impactful journey, it is important that the progress of youngsters (especially those in disadvantaged situations) is properly guided by skilled people. The project was a training course of 5 days (including travel days) for youth workers / maritime crew from different countries. The primary goal was to assist youth workers / crew aboard Sail Training vessels in providing top- notch guidance to young participants during their Sail Training experiences. During the training, the participants learned to work in teams and exchanged best practices of youth work. They developed their competencies in the field while learning innovative methods, applicable in 2025 (new technologies) and getting empowered by drawing on their own experiences and exchanging ideas. To effectively design the project and its objectives, WSF has heard the opinions of several youth workers in the maritime field, (National) Sail Training Organizations, the ship’s crew, and other stakeholders in the sailing community. Below are some main points regarding their needs, gathered from their feedback: - The lack of opportunities to exchange and improve learning methods in their regular work with young people. - The lack of sense of community among youth workers in Sail Training. - Skilled and sensitive youth workers within maritime-related activities. - Proper recognition of the competencies of youth workers on board Tall Ships. - Development and dissemination of non-formal learning methods through Sail Training. We were very happy to take this feedback and designed the program to address the very real needs signaled by people who’ve been working in this field for years. WSF supports youth workers and other stakeholders in Sail Training to improve the quality of their activities with young people on board. The individual learning of participants will contribute to a bigger impact in the development of onboard practices, and dissemination of Sail Training as a powerful tool towards the personal growth of young people. Participants, with proper recognition, and partner organizations, will benefit from exchanging practices with each other, expanding the network and contributing to the growth of the community of non-formal learning ambassadors in the maritime field. The bigger impact of the project will be seen after the summer, when the youth workers / mentors will take what they learned and put it into practice during our Erasmus+ youth exchanges on tall ships.