The Mini Maine miniboat adventure began back in 2012, and we are seeking your support to help it continue in 2024!

The Mini Maine is a small boat project involving students between Maine and Ireland - an exciting endeavor that combines education, maritime tradition, and international cooperation that has been happening since 2012. Our project includes:

A One-of-a-Kind Transatlantic Educational Experience 🇺🇸 ⛵ 🇮🇷
Cultural and Community Connections - Virtually and in Person 🤝
Upgrading the Miniboat with Sensors to Contribute to Ocean Science Research 🌊

We need your help to launch this mission. Your donation will:

Contribute to a unique global experience by supporting educational activities for students
Connect students in the US and Ireland with others
Support the relaunch of the Mini Maine, which was first launched in 2012 and landed in Ireland in 2019
Upgrade the boat so it can collect important data about the ocean as it sails
Create a special online project logbook - an up close look at classroom connections and project updates - that all donors will have access to
Help us create a one-of-a-kind project sticker - which will be shared to donors who give $50 or more!

We would also like to invite you to participate by volunteering and getting involved. Reach out to Cassie (cassie@educationalpassages.org) to find out how.

Background

The Mission: Mini Maine project is part of a new initiative at Educational Passages - the Blue Horizons Global Initiative (BHGI). The BHGI is a collaborative vision with University of New England Senior (‘24) Juliet Fluty who is determined to connect students between the US and Ireland as part of an Educational Studies Internship. By partnering up with Educational Passages, the Mini Maine miniboat will become the central platform for unique learning, and a model for future work.

Over the next year, and into 2025, we will engage hundreds of students in Southern Maine (where the boat started in 2012) and Co. Kerry, Ireland (where the boat landed in 2019). They will connect and learn about the ocean which connects them, be joined as pen pals, and spread learning well beyond classroom walls.

The first voyage of Mini Maine lasted 2,338 days and tracked over 38,685 km around the Atlantic. One of the activities we are going to develop for students will be a deep exploration of this journey. It will be modeled after (and in collaboration with) the Sea Synergy Marine Awareness, Research and Activity Center's award winning "Ocean Champions" project. This project worked with schools in Co. Kerry during the 2022-2023 school year to explore the ocean from a different perspective - Navigators, Oceanographers, Seafarers, Naturalists and Shipwrights - producing incredible artwork, diary entries and ships inspired by the Mini Maine’s voyage to their home. These two schools will also be partner schools for students in Maine!

We are planning to relaunch the miniboat in the Fall of 2024 so everyone can actively track it in real time (thanks to onboard GPS and sensor data). During this time we will host a variety of opportunities such as polls, webinars, and educator workshops to encourage predictions and tracking, which will further strengthen connections around the Atlantic.

Project Timeline

February - March (2024): Learning activities and zoom connections between US and Ireland students
March: Juliet and EP staff (Cassie) visit Ireland, bringing messages and gifts for classes there, but also for the cargo hold. They will also bring a half decorated sail so the Ireland students can complete the other side. Juliet and Cassie will also meet a half dozen or so classrooms along the west coast of Ireland who are part of the miniboat community, to help bring everyone closer together
May: Produce a video ("Mini Documentary") about the Mini Maine’s story so far - premiered at a community event in Biddeford and streamed in Ireland
June - August: Boat repairs and cargo hold upgrade happens in Ireland as well as sensor installation
August: Educator workshop hosted via webinar to prepare students and educators to track and predict the boat’s path at sea during the school year (for US and Ireland schools)
September-December (TBD): Miniboat brought to Port of Cork and launched (details TBD). Tracking and predicting begins. We don't know where the miniboat will go from here, so the rest is for us all to follow along with!
Through May 2025+: Monthly connections hosted on Zoom and virtual exchanges facilitated.

Depending on where and when the boat is relaunched, the timeline will be adjusted as needed. To explore the journey of the 1st voyage, click here: Mini Maine.

Sponsors

If you or your company are interested in becoming a sponsor of the project, please contact us (cassie@educationalpassages.org). A variety of sponsorship levels are still available - with great benefits!

Mission: Mini Maine

A unique learning adventure that will connect students around the Atlantic through the repair, upgrade, and relaunch of the Mini Maine miniboat

Team Members