Canadian Yachting October 2016 - 61

and along with that, accountability. And in the end we can do things faster!" When I asked Don about the direction CPS-ECP is heading he replied, "Good question, without a good answer. From an educational perspective I think that we need to move into the online world. We currently survive on revenue from courses and from membership, which are both declining. We may eventually reach a sustainable level of both, but it will be as a smaller organization. We must develop the outreach side of the Educational Department to get to the people that we are not reaching today. The world is changing and we need to change with it." To this end Don expressed a desire that CPS-ECP move into a different form of course delivery than the current classroom approach that has been followed for many years. Instead of the classroom only option we have to offer our courses online and embrace blended learning as well, where there is the opportunity for both online learning and classroom time for the students. Don certainly feels that we can change as an organization, time and the new Strategic Plan he feels will address some of these challenges. I then asked him what his vision for CPS-ECP was and he stated, "My vision is to continue to move the Educational Department forward and try to make sure that we are moving in a direction that will result in more students and therefore more Members. Online education will become more important as we move into the future, however, it is up to the current Educational Department to set the foundation so that we can move into the future with confidence." Squadron: Alouette Power and Sail Squadron Location: Maple Ridge, BC Squadron Commander: Richard Robinson Warrant Issued: 1957 Membership: 104 Life Members: 4 Newsletter: The Hailer This interview was the result of an email that came into my letterbox on April 13, 2016. The opening line read, "It is with profound regret and disappointment that I have to share this unfortunate announcement with our followers. After loyally serving Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge and Mission for 60 years, the Alouette Power and Sail Squadron is likely going to cease operations this summer due to a lack of willing volunteers to assist us with organizing and conducting our activities." In the next paragraph the message ended with, "If we are unable to fill the vast majority of these volunteer positions at the AGM, we will apply to the Canadian Power and Sail Squadron this summer to de-certify our group." I re-read the email and immediately thought that this would be an excellent time to reach out to a Squadron in difficulty and share their story with our CPS-ECP membership. I immediately contacted their Commander, Richard Robinson and arranged for an interview. In the above mentioned email the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Squadron was set for Friday May 13 at the Ridge Meadows Activity Centre so a week later I phoned Richard and had a most informative chat. Richard began his association with CPS-ECP in 2007 as he needed to get his PCOC card, and as well, wanted to ensure the safety of his children while they were out boating on the local pristine waters. Alouette is Richard's home Squadron and in 2009 he took on the task of putting out their newsletter The Hailer. This was a very good fit as Richard was a very busy person and this used this job used his social media and IT skills. Each issue was carefully crafted to reach out to the younger generation and with the support of the long standing members the readership grew, "The veterans trusted me and let me run with it!". Several years later in the spring of 2014 Richard took the big step and became the Commander. Being part of the Squadron has provided Richard "an opportunity to give back to the community, and connect with all the great members". His first contact with the members was in the classroom while taking his PCOC course and he found the instructors "fantastic" and found one of the great benefits were the personal stories that were shared about the local boating environment. "It is one thing to be taught, but it went exponentially further with the input of their personal knowledge. It was a great course, and I learned so much!" However, now being the Squadron Commander, Richard was in charge of the "ship" and while looking back on the previous ad campaigns it was quite obvious that the spending of "thousands of dollars in print ads and getting a minimal return was not the way to go. So with my social media approach the cost was one tenth and generated twice www.canadianyachting.ca 61 THE PORT HOLE Squadron Commander Interview Alouette - Richard Robinson http://www.canadianyachting.ca

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Yachting October 2016