For Immediate Release

DateThursday, May 29 2003

Boating Safety Instructors Wanted

If you love boating, like to help others and have experience teaching or presenting information to students of all ages, then you just may be what the Oregon State Marine Board is looking for.

"We're going to have some 200,000 boaters needing to qualify for their boater education card over the next seven years," says Ashley Massey, Mandatory Boater Education Program Coordinator for the Marine Board. "We need enthusiastic instructors to help us teach boating safety. We're looking for volunteer instructors and will hold instructor training courses across the state in 2003. If you have an interest in boating and a boater education card, we'd love to have you as a volunteer instructor."

Prospective instructors will need to submit an application, pass a basic background check and provide references. Once they pass their instructor training course, they will be responsible for training boaters in their community. "Instructors are in charge of the course from start to finish. We provide all the materials to our volunteer core - teachers guide, visual aids and video - but the teacher plans, organizes and advertises the class, then teaches and tests the students."

Massey says applicants will need to be boat-savvy, have their boater education card, and have 60 hours of some kind of teaching experience, preferably in teaching a variety of age groups. "We're really hoping to get volunteer instructors from across the state - especially in some of the smaller, more remote regions where there are limited boating safety courses," says Massey.

For information on the program or to download the application information, check the Marine Board web site at www.boatoregon.com, or call Massey at (503) 373-1405 x272. To be eligible for the course, you must have submitted an instructor application form and have received notification of approval. The Instructor Training Course is free for volunteers and runs from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. the following days:

Saturday       June 28           Bend

Saturday       August 9          Oregon City

Saturday       September 6       Grants Pass

Saturday       October 25        La Grande

Saturday       November 22       Salem

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