Teen week is very special to all of us - we have literally been able to watch most of these kids grow up and become pretty wonderful teens.  I did an interview with them for Coastal Angler magazine and here is what they had to say:  

To:  Coastal Angler Magazine

From:  Lee Yeomans

August 2011 Edition

“Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day – teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime” – author unknown

It’s mid-summer in Newburyport and Coastal Discoveries, our marine-environmental education program is in full swing.  Every weekday the Erica Lee II serves as a floating classroom for children ages 9 and up.
As I write this, we are just completing a full week of teens only.  Yes – teens on a boat – for 8 hours – 5 days a week.  We get mixed reactions from friends, business acquaintances and even the parents of these teens.  Some think we are a bit crazy; others can’t thank us enough for continuing to do what we love to do.

So, I sat down this morning with our group of 25 teenagers and conducted an impromptu interview.
 I told them no holding back.  I wanted both the good and the bad. Remember, this is 8:15 in the morning and these are teens talking.  They weren’t connected to any devices – they were voluntarily, enthusiastically communicating with each other and with me.  Surprisingly they had a lot to say.

I’ll summarize the good first: 

I heard comments such as, “Coastal Discoveries is the best thing ever”, “I love to fish”, “No, we all love to fish”, “I learned how to tie knots – lots of different knots”, “I love being on the ocean, being on the beach” “kayaking with seals was the best”, “learning about horseshoe crabs and their medical importance was cool”,  “Coastal Discoveries is awesome – like sharing an adventure at sea with your friends – like a vacation – like getting away from it all”. “We really love the crew – they teach us something new every day”, “they inspire and motivate us”.   “And Captain Bob – he’s the man – a good guy all around”.  And one young lady, “I learned the importance of taking care of the marine environment”.

All of that was music to my ears, but I needed to know what could we be doing differently, better or maybe leave out of the program?  I was both surprised and delighted to hear a resounding, “Don’t change anything”.  “You’ve got it right”

Most of these teens were repeat offenders.  One was on his 8^thyear with us, most had been coming between 3 & 5 years and 3 out of the 25 were enjoying their first year with us.  One part of our program involves kids 12 and older participating in a Safe Boating Education Program through the Mass. Environmental Police.  The course is taught aboard the Erica Lee II, followed by a written exam at the end of the week.  Those that pass earn a safe boating certificate which allows kids ages 12-15 to operate a motorboat of any horsepower without an adult on board.  I was curious to see if any of our teens had really used their certificate, so I asked.  Many hands went up and I was glad to hear that besides boating, many have been able to use fishing skills learned during their time with us.

I asked the kids if any of them could see a future for themselves in maritime studies.  A few hands went up, but all agreed that they had learned so much during their time with us that they could confidently go forth and use these skills in many aspects of their lives. 

Do we think it is better to teach a kid to fish than to hand him a fish?  Yes we do!  And, apparently this wonderful group of teens agrees with us.