Sailors\u2019 Society is switching its focus\nto 24\/7 virtual support for seafarers and their families across the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The charity\u2019s global team will provide\na virtual chaplaincy service available to all seafarers and their loved ones\nwhenever and wherever they need support, whether they are many miles out to\nsea, in a busy port or at home recovering from illness or waiting for their\nnext contract to begin. This will run alongside the Society\u2019s 24\/7 helpline and\nCrisis Response Network as well as its ground-breaking Peer-to-Peer support\nprogramme that has almost 80 groups and is still growing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its fully trained team will continue to\nbe stationed all over the world, so they can answer calls and messages around\nthe clock, speak in a variety of languages and still support face-to-face when\nneeded in a crisis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sailors’ Society will also be building\non its hugely successful Wellness at Sea programme, which includes Ship\nConnect, wellness training, cadet conferences and a new e-learning platform. It\nis also revising and relaunching its acclaimed Wellness at Home programme so it\ncan further support seafarer families across the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Life at sea is changing with less time\nin port, smaller crews and a new generation of digital native seafarers who\ncount on accessing services virtually. As an organisation, the Society has\ncontinually evolved over its 205-year history and\u202fadapted through many changes\nand challenging times both in the maritime and charity sector. It also learned\na great deal from the pandemic when it had to find new ways of keeping in\ncontact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sailors\u2019 Society CEO, Sara Baade, said:\n\u201cHaving our whole support network in their phone\nmeans they, and their families, can get the care they need immediately, and we\nbelieve this is the future for seafarer welfare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCovid taught us many lessons in\ncommunicating virtually with the people we are here to serve \u2013 the world\u2019s\nseafarers. These key workers of the sea are hugely resilient, but arguably\nat their most vulnerable out on the oceans, where they may be isolated, anxious\nabout personal or family problems or exposed to violent storms or the threat of\npiracy. We will now be right there with them when they need us the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Making our chaplaincy support\nvirtual and instant to every seafarer who needs it ensures we \u2013 and they \u2013\nremain fit for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n