MV Ocean Academy

We had a stupendous second season of programming aboard SHENANDOAH Since Martha's Vineyard's tall ship Shenandoah was passed down to Martha's Vineyard Ocean Academy (formerly FUEL) in 2021, we have made exciting updates to the ship and its programs. We have hosted over 900 participants on week-long voyages of self-discovery aboard Shenandoah. We introduced an equity-based payment system with sliding-scale tuition so our prices would not be a barrier to families. We created an innovative curriculum based on Positive Youth Development to address the mental health epidemic impacting our children. We initiated an ongoing study in partnership with the University of New Hampshire measuring student outcomes in our program. We launched a local food initiative to source ingredients from our island and teach our kids the benefits of eating locally. We developed staff training that prepares our crew for their roles as mentors and guides in mental health promotion interventions. We are grateful to MVYouth and our community of generous, passionate Islanders who helped make this possible.