Raven's Journey

Raven’s Journey turns the ocean into a classroom and a workplace for Native and other underserved youth. Our mission is to prepare students for next-generation maritime careers through structured, hands-on, at-sea education on advanced systems such as hydrogeneration and serial hybrid drives. 

Students are not passengers. They serve as the ship’s crew aboard the sailing school vessel Raven (SSV Raven), rotating through deck operations, engineering, navigation, watchstanding, safety, and environmental stewardship. Instruction is trauma-informed and led by Coast Guard-certified mariner instructors, with on-board oversight from a certified medical practitioner as well as licensed educators and counselors.

We believe learning happens at sea, not at anchor. Therefore, during each nine-week voyage, Raven will spend at least six weeks underway. Time offshore removes on-land distractions and creates a steady routine that builds discipline, teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership.

Our pathway links readiness, real sea time, and next steps:

• Training at sea with daily watches, drills, and task books aligned to industry standards

• Loggable sea time and prerequisite STCW elements 

• Guidance toward credentials and maritime career routes, including STCW awareness, MMC pathways, and an introduction to the oceanographic sciences

• Mentoring and connections to employers, apprenticeships, and partner academies

Where We Are Now

We have acquired the aluminum schooner hull that will become Raven. This represents years of skilled metalwork and a rare opportunity to launch a serious training platform without starting from scratch. We are raising funds to refit and outfit Raven for student service, including enhanced safety systems, expanded student berthing, and modern navigation, communications, damage-control equipment, sails, and rigging. These upgrades meet and exceed U.S. Coast Guard requirements, enabling Raven to be certified as a Subchapter U inspected vessel. Donor support keeps students at the center by underwriting outfitting, the at-sea curriculum that unlocks real career pathways, and scholarships. Our goal is a vessel that is safe, seaworthy, and purpose built for youth training while ensuring that cost is never a barrier.

Why This Matters

Maritime employers across the country need skilled, motivated crew. Many Native and rural students live close to the sea but far from opportunity. Raven’s Journey connects talent to training and training to jobs. Students leave with logged sea time, practical skills, confidence, and a network that makes the first step into the industry feel possible.

Accountability And Partnerships

We are building alliances with schools, tribes, and workforce programs to recruit, support, and follow students beyond their first voyage. We prioritize safety, clear learning objectives, and transparent reporting. Donors will see progress in public refit milestones, student stories, and third-party compliance benchmarks as Raven moves from hull to fully operational sailing school vessel. We also intend to seat partner representatives on our Board of Directors to deepen cooperation into true collaboration.

What your gift makes possible

• Student scholarships so cost never decides who can sail

• Personal safety gear students keep, including PFDs and foul-weather clothing

• Safety and survival equipment for every student, including immersion suits

• Training modules for navigation, engineering, and deck operations

• Communications and navigation systems for safe coastal operations

• Damage-control tools and drills that build real seamanship

• Sails, rigging, and deck hardware sized for training

• Travel support so rural students can reach the ship

Impact levels

• $50 equips a student with foul-weather bibs

• $100 buys halyards to hoist the mains

• $250 outfits one student with safety gear for a voyage

• $500 funds a portable damage-control pump

• $1,000 sponsors the sonar transducer that keeps students safe near shore

• $2,000 provides a week of meals for all 24 students

• $2,500 outfits a complete navigation workstation

• $5,000 advances a major refit milestone such as rigging, communications, or damage-control kits

• $10,000 helps complete Raven’s state-of-the-art hybrid drive that reduces carbon output

Your support helps transform a proven hull into Raven, a working classroom at sea. Together we can launch the next generation of mariners and leaders, starting in Alaska and extending across the North Pacific