Paul Leppington

Spirit of Adventure Trust

Spirit of Adventure Trust was established in 1973 with the generous support of Lou Fisher, to provide the youth of New Zealand with access to a character youth development programme conducted in a maritime environment. The 1960s saw a revival of interest in the square-rigged sailing ship but not in their traditional role as cargo ships, or for professional maritime training. They were seen as a unique environment for youth development, where the focus of learning for students is on team-work and developing skills of communication, self-reliance, self-discipline, self-esteem, resilience, confidence and leadership. Learning to sail a tall ship is a means to an end, rather than an end in itself. Our mission is ‘To empower young New Zealanders to reach their full potential through the challenge of the sea'. At the Spirit of Adventure Trust we develop youth (trainees) to be: Confident, Connected, Resilient, Actively involved Lifelong learners, Networkers Since the Trust's inception, more than 75,000 young people from throughout New Zealand have benefited from participating in one or other of our youth development voyages.