The Vendée Globe Journey for Children
by Vendée Globe media 12 Oct 02:21 PDT
16 October 2024 – 26 January 2025
The Vendée Globe Journey for Children © Jean-Louis Carli / Alea / Saem Vendée
The legendary non-stop, unassisted, solo circumnavigation race continues to captivate all age groups. This year, children are included too!
The Vendée Globe Junior, an educational initiative by the Vendée Département, returns for its 10th year with several exciting additions. The French Sailing Federation continues its collaboration with Virtual Regatta, and new projects are emerging, like the Panini album focused on the race and the mascot Adélie, who guides children through this fascinating world.
Paul Meilhat, skipper of Biotherm, recalls his early memories of the Vendée Globe in 1989 when he was just 7 years old: ‘My parents would often find me late at night with my flashlight, poring over the technical specifications of the Vendée Globe boats.’ The Vendée Globe fosters dreams from a young age, which is why the organization, Vendée Département, and the French Sailing Federation are launching multiple projects aimed at kids.
Vendée Globe Junior, for aspiring young sailors
On Wednesday, the Vendée department unveiled its Vendée Globe Junior 2024-2025 program, an engaging educational endeavor tailored for children from cycle 1 to cycle 4. Free of charge and centered on ocean racing and ocean conservation, the Vendée Globe Junior equips teachers and families with a comprehensive set of 72 digital educational resources detailing the race’s history, marine careers, and environmental topics. Moreover, scientific events, web series, games, and activities will allow families to stay connected to the race and enjoy the adventure together from home.
For the very first time, parts of this content will be made available in English to reach children globally. The program will also be featured on the United Nations World Oceans Day website.
New elements include information sheets for preschoolers that come with three learning tiers: ship’s mate, sailor, and skipper. The thematic sheets for cycles 3 and 4, organized by subject (science, geography, history, etc.), all relate to sailing and marine conservation. A unique song, recorded with the École Intercommunale de Musique Vendée Sèvre Autise and children from the Saint-Pient school in Maillé, will enable kids to learn nautical terms through music. There’s also original material like the kamishibaïs ‘Le Vendée Globe, the emotional race’ for cycles 1 and 2, along with a web series focusing on the key milestones of the Vendée Globe, helping to grasp the challenges in ocean racing.
The ‘Virtual Vendée Globe in Class’ initiative with the French Sailing Federation (FFV) and Virtual Regatta
The French Sailing Federation, in collaboration with Virtual Regatta, is providing students from elementary to university the opportunity to participate in the ‘Virtual Vendée Globe in Class.’ Supported by the French Ministries of Education, Sport, and Agriculture, this program allows students to virtually participate in the race alongside real Vendée Globe skippers. By 2020, over 70,000 students had joined!
Virtual Regatta provides all registered classes with ‘all options’ packages to enhance their virtual boat’s performance, which will display the French Sailing Federation’s colors. Specific rankings will be published, and the French Sailing Federation will offer selected classes the chance to transition ‘from virtual to reality’ through three randomly drawn sailing cycles. Registration opens on October 14 on the FFV website.
Radio Workshops in the Village
In the village, franceinfo, the Vendée Globe’s official radio station, is hosting workshops focused on media and information education. These sessions, designed to expose participants to the fields of journalism and sound engineering, allow them to experience the world of radio. Each participant prepares for roles such as presenter, columnist, interviewer, or weatherman over 45 minutes, gaining insights into sound journalistic practices. The workshop culminates in recording a 10-minute news segment, followed by a debriefing with a franceinfo journalist. The workshops target a young audience but are open to all! Schedules will be available on the race’s website.
