Through the “Sail For Kids” project, six children from our Flexiheim went sailing in Croatia. For many, it was their first vacation ever. Out on the sea, the girls exceeded their own expectations. An unforgettable experience!

53 homeless children live in the Flexiheim am Krautgarten with their parents in small, furnished apartments. Up to nine people share two rooms here, with kitchens and bathrooms often shared with other families. During the holidays, when everyone is at home, it becomes particularly cramped, as no one here goes on vacation. Now, six girls between the ages of nine and twelve spent a week sailing in Croatia. What an experience! Experiencing freedom on the sea, taking on responsibility, and pushing beyond their own limits.

Naturally, the excitement beforehand was immense. “Are there sharks there?” one girl wanted to know during the preliminary meeting. One mother inquired several times about what kind of ship her daughter would be boarding—part of the family had drowned while fleeing to Germany. Philipp from “Sail For Kids” was able to reassure them both. He is a co-founder of the project and, as one of the skippers, is responsible for safety on board. For years, “Sail For Kids” has been taking disadvantaged children on therapeutic sailing trips to offer them a new perspective on life. “As crew members on board, the children learn to take responsibility, recognize their strengths, and experience the power of togetherness. A very special experience,” says Philipp.

Many children he has taken out to sea have never swum in the ocean or even left Germany. He is firmly convinced: sailing changes people—for the better. A ship like that has something magical about it: when the children go on board, they practically calm down immediately, Philipp explains. This was an experience that was also very important during this week for the girls, who have almost no privacy in the bustling Flexiheim.

“It was simply wonderful,” says Flexiheim manager Sabrina Leidenroth, one of two supervisors from SkF München e.V. who accompanied the children. “The girls are totally relaxed after the week; they have had really great experiences, seen beautiful nature, and experienced adventures. They were able to switch off for a while, but they also had a lot of fun and overcame their fears. And when we saw dolphins at the end, the week was naturally perfect.”

An experience the girls will surely never forget—and one they want to share at school. After all, poverty and homelessness always result in exclusion from social participation. Now the girls can also talk about their vacation, about swimming in secluded bays, about life on the ship, about the endless starry sky over the sea, and, of course, about the dolphins, which seem quite friendly compared to sharks.

SkF München e.V. would like to thank “Sail For Kids” for making this unforgettable sailing trip possible. We also thank the Anna Krauß Foundation, which funded a swimming course for the girls in advance—the first important step so that the children could move safely in the water. Furthermore, we thank the Josef Schörghuber Foundation, which covered the travel and catering costs, and the Turning Point Foundation, which paid for the ships.