WHat is peregrina sails?

Hi, I’m Elana Connor (and that’s my dog, Zia)! I’m on a singlehanded sailing circumnavigation aimed at creating global ripples of change that will result in a tidal wave of community support and inspiration for young people in state (aka foster) care around the world. I’m a peregrina — a pilgrim — traveling simply and giving freely, and a former foster child (I spent my teen years in state care in the USA).

Peregrina Sails is a grassroots mission that begins with me sailing solo into a community, identifying a local charity doing amazing work for these underserved young folks. I particularly aim to support charities providing sustained or immersive outdoor experiential education programs, as studies show — and I’m living proof! — that these programs can make a massive difference in outcomes for young people. I then connect the local sailing community to that charity by volunteering my own time: doing free presentations, talks, and teaching courses on my vessel, Windfola. In lieu of any fees, I ask attendees to donate directly to the local charity, with the aim of sparking an ongoing relationship that lasts long after I depart.

Results?

You better believe it! Together with the amazing communities we’ve encountered, we have raised well over $60,000 for local charities, inspired organizations to create and fund their own new programs for youth in care or do their own charity drives, and even created change in local businesses models to donate a percentage of profits to charities for care-experienced youth. Individuals are also taking this message to heart, finding their own ways to give: from donating their old tents to a local youth homeless service, to getting their workplaces to match donations, to lobbying their local representatives to have better policies on supporting young people aging out of state care, to becoming certified foster-carers themselves.

I also connect with young people of all ages through schools, community groups, and more. I particularly delight in meeting kids who have backgrounds like mine. These resilient, adaptable, and promising young folks need role models they can relate to, and through that, to know that their futures shines bright. Their possibilities are endless, and they deserve to know they deserve opportunities to follow their dreams, too!

How to help us make waves

What I need most now, with inflation and increasing costs of operating the yacht in Australia, is SPONSORSHIP. The more the boat’s costs are covered, the more time and enthusiasm I can give to the communities I encounter. Can you help? Please, get in touch!

I absolutely depend on my small but incredibly generous base of ongoing supporters, who make occasional or recurring contributions so that I can sail on. Please consider helping us keep the diesel, pantry, and doggie snacks topped up by making a donation today!

As we sail westward under southern Australia and beyond, I am always looking for opportunities to connect:

• with sailing and community-minded clubs and organizations, to host talks and fundraising events

• with local schools and youth organizations, to inspire them to dream big and be more inclusive to less-advantaged youth

• with state care-related or at-risk youth-supporting charities and their young people.

If you know any people or organizations working in those spaces, please reach out to me!

thank you and remember

I couldn’t do this without the community — those who support me already, and those who we encounter along the way. It is this connection, human to human, that enables us to make change for the next generation of young people.

In the words of James Baldwin, “The children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe.”