- First trip -
Seamanship, belonging and life skills
A course in seamanship and life skills aimed at youth and young adults who need a fresh start.
Førstereis is supported by funds from the Savings Bank Foundation .
A new path to a new goal
“First Voyage” is a work experience course aboard the traditional sailing ships SS Vega and SV Legend at Akershusstranda in Oslo.
The course is tailored to ensure young people who have fallen out of school and working life a practical path into maritime professions, and a safe living community designed for coping and development.
Some of the course participants have completed Christian Radich 's Windjammer program and want to continue on the path to becoming a light sailor. Others complete the course as a warm-up for Windjammer cruises. Several also come to us via NAV, Fretex or other actors. The course usually lasts 1-3 months, depending on the students' wishes and the guidelines from local NAV offices, as well as the wishes of their guardians. The course participants are usually around 16–25 years old.
Through work on deck, maintenance, rigging and galley, combined with clear frameworks and close follow-up, professional competence, self-esteem and social belonging are built.
The program functions as a test arena where each individual can find out whether maritime work is the right direction, while NAV and other partners receive a solid mapping of function in everyday work.
Mastery and professional experience: relevant competence within the light seafaring profession goes hand in hand with a sense of mastery and ownership of one's own work.
Who is the offer suitable for?
Førstereis is aimed at youth and young adults who:
Have dropped out of school or work and need job training and structure in everyday life
Have participated in Windjammer cruises and want to explore a maritime career further
Will be preparing for, or following up on, a light sailor course or other maritime education
Need a new environment and a safe community to break with destructive patterns and environments
Many of the participants have psychological or social challenges and need close follow-up, clear frameworks and a safe environment.
Community: Many describe the stay as an important break from stressful environments, and an opportunity to build new, good relationships.
The aim of the course offering
The work experience course aims to provide participants with:
Real work experience and relevant expertise within the light seafaring profession
Experience of mastery, pride and ownership of one's own work
A safe social community and new, positive networks
Better conditions for advancing in work, education or a maritime career
We place great emphasis on responsibility, cooperation, respect, freedom from drugs and mutual trust, both in the work situation and in the living community on board.
Cozy living space: Course participants live and sleep aboard the sailing ship S/S Vega, with a cozy interior, its own galley and many lounges and seating areas.
Life skills are an important part of the program: participants practice following routines, taking responsibility for shared tasks, planning meals, and handling everyday challenges in close interaction with others.
Work outdoors and indoors: course participants learn practical maritime skills, work physically outdoors, and be part of a close-knit and inclusive environment.
Everyday life on board
At Førstereis you get to experience what it's like to work and live on board real sailing ships, together with other young people in similar situations. You get to learn practical maritime skills, work physically outdoors, and be part of a close-knit and inclusive environment.
You show up in the morning at regular working hours, work together with the crew, and have regular breaks during the day. After work, it's time for food, socializing, and quiet evening activities on board, completely alcohol/drug-free.
Work and schedule
Participants follow normal working days from approximately 08:00–16:00, with weekends and public holidays off. The tasks vary between maintenance, deck work, rigging work, galley work, rust treatment, paint systems and other tasks that are part of the light seaman profession.
A 3:1 system is used, where participants usually work three weeks and have one week off. All share galley duty, which involves responsibility for cooking and cleaning in turns, with good guidance from the crew.
Academic content
During their stay, participants receive basic training in key tasks for light seamen, such as rigging, deck work, maintenance and handling of equipment. They also receive guidance on how to progress, either via light seamanship courses on the Christian Radich, a training ship, or further training through a maritime competence center.
Living and social community
Participants will live aboard the ships SS Vega and SV Legend, in a shared sleeping area that many will recognize from Windjammer stays. Everyone is expected to contribute to a tidy, safe and inclusive environment, and to treat each other with respect and generosity.
Life skills are an important part of the program: participants practice following routines, taking responsibility for shared tasks, planning meals, and handling everyday challenges in close interaction with others. Many describe the stay as an important break from stressful environments, and an opportunity to build new, good relationships.
For the crew, this is one of the most meaningful projects we have ever been involved in. The joy the students show when they master practical tasks, work independently and well in a team, and find security and belonging in the group - it is almost indescribable.
Close collaboration: living and working together is a great way to get to know each other well, and learn to be generous, helpful, and take responsibility for yourself and others.
New friendships and new belonging
For many of our course participants, the stay is an important break from environments they want to detach themselves from. It is also a chance to learn how to live and thrive with others.
It will likely take a stay of several months to achieve a change in destructive social patterns, get to know new friends well, and build a new network in a safe environment on board.
From pilot project to sought-after course offering
The work experience course started modestly with 1-2 candidates in the winter of 2022, but has now become very popular.
We currently have between 5-8 students living on board, in addition to two employees who follow up on the students, and a project manager (Martin). In 2024, we were also granted support from the Sparebankstiftelsen for a permanent position as a work manager on board. This is invaluable to the project, and crucial to being able to maintain further operations to the extent we want and believe is sustainable.
About the association "Førstereis"
Førstereis is a non-profit organization that gives youth and young adults a fresh start through work experience and training in traditional seamanship.
The association has grown out of the environment surrounding the sailing ships in Oslo, and is run by crew with extensive experience from seafaring and working with youth.
We offer a structured everyday life with normal working days, clear expectations and a strong emphasis on responsibility, community and life skills. Participants live and work together on board, share practical tasks and get to know what it means to be part of a professional crew.
Why support Førstereis?
Førstereis gives young people who are far from school and work a concrete chance to succeed in practice, through a strong professional environment and a close, safe community. Experience shows that the stay provides clear mastery, increased self-esteem and better work routines, and that it contributes to more people going on to work or education – often within the maritime sector.
The program has great value for both individuals and society, by reducing exclusion and giving young people new opportunities to create a future at sea or on land. In addition, Førstereis contributes to sustainability through clean-up voyages, source separation and awareness, increased physical activity and protection of maritime cultural heritage.