Tell us about the Mahogany Youth Corporation.
“Mahogany Youth is a nonprofit founded in 1994 by Robert O’Bryant. As a drug counselor for over 20 years working in the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, O’Bryant noticed that kids he was taking fishing weren’t getting into as much trouble as other kids. Through fishing, he found a way to help the kids, to mentor them and to provide support so they could develop into great citizens.”
Tell us about Teach a Child to Fish.
“Teach a Child to Fish is a 20-week program based on the “Hooked on Fishing Not on Drugs” curriculum. We teach fishing skills and life skills to more than 1,000 kids every year. Fishing is the hook we use to get the kids’ attention, and then we’re able to help them with life choices and making good decisions. It’s fun to watch them working with bait. They have such a good time playing with the shrimp, night crawlers and minnows. No matter what size fish they catch, they get excited.”
Why is it important that youngsters learn about fishing and their coastal environment?
“For a lot of our kids, their whole world is an eight-block radius. We give them a chance to go to the coast or out on the water. To be good stewards of our country and our land, kids need to develop an affinity for it. They’re more likely to vote for legislation to protect it. They’re more likely to be an advocate for clean water and clean air and Everglades restoration, which are all topics that we explore with the kids.”
What benefits has working with Florida Sea Grant provided Mahogany Youth?
“By working with Florida Sea Grant we’re able to give the kids opportunities to interact with scientists and participate in activities that they might not have had a chance to do otherwise. We also give Sea Grant access to urban kids that we work with — kids who would never even know about Sea Grant’s science and extension program.
One project we’re working on right now is helping Florida Sea Grant scientists restore sponges in Florida Bay. Our kids will be snorkeling and scuba diving to plant sponges in areas that have been depleted or damaged by disease. They will see the application of what they read about in the classroom, and it comes alive. They will be able to do the experiments and see science in action.
With more resources we could expand these kinds of programs to more schools.”
Is Sea Grant a valuable program for Florida?
“I think Florida Sea Grant is invaluable. Having the opportunity to sit on the Florida Sea Grant advisory board, I’ve seen firsthand the science they fund and their track record for finding solutions to problems with our coasts. The science has to be useful. It can’t be a scientist waking up one day and saying that they want to study something that has no practical application. There has to be a partnership between business and the scientific community, which I think is a great way to do it, because you end up having something that solves a coastal problem in a useful way, can become commercialized and make a real contribution to our economy.”
How can other community and business leaders become involved with Florida Sea Grant?
“If you understand the value of investing in Florida’s youth and its coast, you might be interested in donating to Florida Sea Grant’s student scholarship fund. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could pair up with a scholarship program that helps our kids stay in school and develop a career that benefits our community?
A good first step is to reach out to Florida Sea Grant. You can pick up the phone and call Karl Havens, the director, to find out ways you can become involved. He can make sure your investment targets the coastal issues you are concerned about solving.”
About Florida Sea Grant Florida Sea Grant is a university–based program that supports research, education and extension to enhance economic opportunities for Floridians while protecting coastal resources. Sea Grant works in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Florida Board of Education, and Florida’s citizens and governments.
Outreach is integrated with UF/IFAS Extension at the University of Florida, one of the nation’s leading land-grant universities. Florida Sea Grant also has decades of experience running privately-funded scholarships to train the next generation of marine resource managers. If you are interested in supporting a new student scholarship program, please contact the program’s director.
To learn more, contact:
Karl Havens
Director, Florida Sea Grant
University of Florida
352-392-5870 — khavens@ufl.edu
www.FlSeaGrant.org