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The
Makulu II: The
Field Trip to End All Field Trips
By
Tom Kertes
More
than 600 students from 20 New York inner-city elementary classrooms
are going to be fortunate enough this year to have the Reach the
World Company reach the world for them.
Reach the World (RTW) sponsors the Makulu II, a rugged
Nautor Swan ketch that just sailed from Manhattan’s 79th
Street Boat Basin for a 26-month voyage around the globe. Though
the 43-foot boat appeared shockingly small in the vastness of
the surrounding waters—and, for the launch, we’re only talking
about the Hudson River —it aims to accomplish a truly enormous
task.
“I
love history and always wanted to learn about it by sailing around
the world,” said RTW President Heather Halstead. “And since I
graduated from Dartmouth–perhaps the most technologically advanced
college in the country – I figured that by the use of technology
and telecommunication tools aboard the boat,
we could bring the entire world to children
who otherwise would not have the opportunity to experience much
of it outside of their
immediate neighborhood.”
Halstead feels that, given the current world situation, the mission
of the Makulu II may be more essential than ever.
“In
light of what we now face, there may be no more important long-term
goals than to educate children about the cultures, environments,
and traditions that populate our world. It’s only through the
teaching of tolerance and global understanding that we will prepare
them for the heavy responsibilities they must bear in the future,”
she said.
“Students
are confused and scared,” said 23 year-old Captain Erin Myers.
“It’s important for them to understand that we’re all part of
a global community.”
Myers, Halstead’s fellow Dartmouth graduate, is one of the five
brand new crewmembers embarking on the boat’s second global trip.
It will cover 27,000 miles over three oceans and six seas, while
making stops in 36 countries.
“This
trip is much better organized,” Halstead pointed out, “because
we’ve learned from the experience of the first voyage.” The crewmembers
come from varied educational and academic backgrounds and are
ready to put themselves and their skills to the test as field
educators for hundreds of deserving children.”
The ultra-committed crew, serving as adventurer-educators who
will create a “virtual classroom” on the boat, is taking two years-plus
to experience this “ once in a lifetime” voyage. The youthful
quintet – not one is over 28 – will gather information en route
and transmit it to students and teachers via the Internet and
the project’s website (www.reachtheworld.com). Students
can transmit and receive messages within a weekly framework, as
well as track the boat’s progress on the RTW website. Reach the
World will also provide special educational materials and create
new projects as the voyage unfolds. Teachers can build lessons
around the boat’s voyages.
Famed broadcaster and RTW Advisory Board member, Walter Cronkite,
was the Master of Ceremonies at the Makulu II’s wonderful
bon voyage party. “The current world situation only proves that
we need to know far more about people around the world than we
do now,” he said. “This wonderful educational adventure will accomplish
this for thousands of schoolchildren.”
“Fair
winds and good going, Makulu II.”#
Education Update, Inc., P.O. Box 20005, New York, NY 10001. Tel:
(212) 481-5519. Fax: (212) 481-3919. Email: ednews1@aol.com.
All material is copyrighted and may not be printed without express consent of
the publisher. © 2001.
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