How do young volunteers get involved in the RNLI of the 21st century? Life is not as simple as it used to be but the charity has a solution

Historically lifeboat stations were able to casually  welcome enthusiastic teenagers into their boathouses, nurturing a lifelong relationship that took the young volunteer from helper to crew, to coxswain, to station management. But times have changed.

The RNLI cannot always depend on the stability of communities that saw a lifetime’s commitment to a particular station or an inevitable father-to-son progression. Further, there are real hazards to contend with inside a lifeboat station: a 30-tonne lifeboat perched on a steep slipway, or stores of pyrotechnics and chemicals.

Young recruits need close supervision and proper training – as well as the application of best practice in child protection. So, while the RNLI is acutely aware of the importance of making the right connection at the right age, this changed world has posed something of a challenge.

Recruit, retain and rehearse

The charity already engages with thousands of young people every year through school and youth group visits, the Hit the Surf and Beach to City programmes, Storm Force child membership, and more. It also participates in the Duke of Edinburgh’s and President’s Award schemes. However, to truly capture hearts, hone skills and nurture long-term support, the RNLI needed a scheme that allows deeper involvement.

And so was born Future Crew: the RNLI’s Youth Activity scheme. Designed and led by former teacher and fundraiser Tim Robertson, it’s a 3-year course that allows entry at age 14. To be accepted, participants must:

• express a clear interest in serving the charity as a lifeguard, crew member or supporter
• prove an existing connection and commitment through Storm Force or parental membership, fundraising or similar
• commit to attend regularly
• be able to swim 50m and be confident in open waters.

Completion of the course prepares the young person in the skills required of inshore crew. Tim explains: ‘This means they are trained and ready to go sooner after they hit 17 – the minimum age for becoming a crew member or lifeguard. Future Crew allows experienced crew and youth to develop a relationship as happened so successfully in previous generations.’

The scheme in action

Future Crew is hosted and run by lifeboat volunteers. Recognising the inevitable extra demands on their time, interested stations were asked to come forward without any obligation, before pilot 'clusters' in the north west of England and Highlands of Scotland were selected to take up to four young people per station 

Tim explains: ‘The clusters provide a supportive network for the stations but each is free to work to their strengths. For example, Fleetwood crew members have taken advantage of their close ties to a maritime college to use their sea survival training pool.’

Each term involves 3 weeks or so of shorebased theory followed by a practical exercise. ‘Learning on a lifeboat would be like learning to drive in a Ferrari!’ says Tim. ‘So we use small, modestly powered inflatables that have been modified for us by the RNLI’s Inshore Lifeboat Centre on the Isle of Wight.’

Avoiding the poor conditions of January–March, practical training moves indoors to local swimming pools and concentrates on lifesaving skills. Over 3 years, participants can gain the STA Bronze, Silver then Gold Cross Lifesaving Awards. Throughout, to prevent any confusion with operational crew, the participants’ kit has been deliberately chosen not to look too ‘RNLI’.

As someone with a 30-year involvement with the Scouts, Morecambe Crew Member Colin Midwinter was immediately struck by the ‘superb potential’ of Future Crew. He swiftly volunteered to be a coordinator, balancing his roles of crew member and trainer: ‘We are careful to ensure Future Crew doesn’t clash with our primary purpose as a rescue service. A couple of times I’ve had to abandon the training for a shout but that’s valuable learning too.’

A direction in life

The value of this scheme for participants has proved far reaching. As Fleetwood Lifeboat Operations Manager Dave Eccles, also a Future Crew coordinator, explains: ‘The benefits are social as well as practical. This is about a group of youths learning not only skills but also the ethos and rewards of charity work. 

Feedback from participants’ parents has praised the wider skills offered. One mum, Kirsty, sums up: ‘Future Crew shows teenagers how to communicate effectively, be a team player and act in a responsible manner.’ Another, Debra, credits the scheme with a transformative power on behaviour and attitude: ‘Future Crew’s given my son confidence, ambition, maturity and a direction in life.’

One of the chance-of-a-lifetime experiences offered is the Summer residential. In 2009, 10 Future Crew members spent 9 nights onboard a tall ship sailing from Bristol to Cardiff, Dun Laoghaire, Peel and Greenock. The adventure took them out of their cluster comfort zone, mixed them with people from all over the UK and taught them the transferable nature of their training.

Ten of the youth members also spent 5 days living aboard the RNLI’s two unbranded crew training boats. As well as learning boating skills directly applicable to crewing an all-weather lifeboat, they were given full responsibility – from maintenance and navigation to food shopping on a budget and cooking. Unsurprisingly, these experiences proved a massive hit:

‘I would never have thought that I’d do anything like this or learn so much,’ enthuses participant Ryan. ‘This has opened up a lot of opportunities for me.’

Coordinator Colin speaks highly of the positive attitude and ability of the budding crew members in his area: ‘Here we have 14-year-old twins Marcus and Christopher who are locals, and 16-year-old Hannah who travels 20 miles to attend. They are treated as part of the team and given real responsibility. We all check each other’s kit before we go out and they help us check the boat. All three are determined to join the crew and they’re so proud of their Future Crew T-shirts they probably sleep in them!’

Mutual benefits

Scheme Manager Tim is convinced of the advantages to the RNLI too: ‘We know life is more geographically fluid nowadays. Some of our scheme members will move away but this training will never go to waste. They can choose to be near another lifeboat station and go along to volunteer there.’ And if they move inland? ‘Then they’ll be supporting us in other ways such as fundraising.’

These sentiments are shared by Colin: ‘Future Crew has a double benefit – we get these great kids, from a wide background, and they pass on their enthusiasm for the RNLI to others and out into the wider community. We are already seeing its effect. For example, we competed to be our local Sainsbury’s Charity of the Year. I'm convinced our involvement in Future Crew was the deciding factor.’

He continues: ‘Marcus, Christopher and Hannah have got involved in everything. We even took them to meet Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace and they really did us proud. There’s no doubt that having young people around is good for us crew too and our preparation for teaching a subject gives us revision.’

The pilot also won over an unexpected champion, as Tim explains: ‘The swimming tutor we hired in Inverness, Sue Bitmead, was so impressed with the project that she offered to donate her future time for nothing. She also gave us resuscitation training kit to the value of the fee she had already received.’

Looking ahead

Having successfully completed its pilot, Future Crew is on extended trial for the next 5 years. There are currently 18 young people involved, a number that looks set to increase to 24 by the end of the year, possibly expanding to 45 stations and reaching a total of 140 young people by 2014.

In keeping with the great tradition of the RNLI, the scheme depends upon the commitment of volunteers to deliver sessions locally but of course it’s not free. However, in its first 8 months, the scheme received £10,000 in funding from a charitable trust and £10,000 in gifts in kind from Crewsaver, supplier to and supporter of Future Crew. Now, more trusts and companies are being approached to help finance the expansion of the scheme and assure the long-term future of the RNLI’s next generation of lifesavers.