Alexandria Seaport Foundation

Through the building and use of wooden boats, the Alexandria Seaport Foundation helps at-risk young people turn their lives around, providing them the job skills, social skills, and educational tools needed to become successful citizens

Apprentice Testimonies:

"The Seaport Foundation has given me a chance for redemption in a really bad situation.  It puts one in a position to create a positive life for himself."

                                            Graduate Apprentice 

"Alexandria Seaport Foundation has helped me become the best version of myself."

                                        Graduate Apprentice 

"ASF has provided me the environment I needed to succeed...a safe haven in which to make progress."

                                                Graduate Apprentice

"The Seaport Foundation has helped me more than I could have ever known.  I was given hope when I had none; I was given purpose when I had none.  I was given a chance when I thought I had used the last of them up."

                                                 -Graduate Apprentice

"All I can say is 'thank you' to the people at the Alexandria Seaport Foundation for never giving up on me and giving me the opportunity to grow as a person and a worker."

                                          -Graduate Apprentice

"When I first came to Seaport I was in and out of trouble doing drugs, running the streets. I didn't care how other people felt about me or what they thought.  ASF helped me stay focused on the things I needed to do to better myself and actually be someone in life.  It took a lot of hard work and dedication from me and Seaport, but it paid off."

#spring2action

The Alexandria Seaport Foundation is

Building brighter futures for our apprentices and community

Using on-the-water traditions of boatbuilding and woodworking

Integrating life skills, mentoring, and collaboration

Leading to opportunities that

Drive successful navigation past barriers to adulthood.

The Alexandria Seaport Foundation works with young adults (ages 18-23) that need support to move forward and to navigate barriers in their lives. Since 1993, Seaport’s Apprentice Program has provided a safe and encouraging environment where Apprentices can find the direction they need and acquire the necessary skills to prepare them for a more productive and self-sufficient life. By introducing Apprentices to woodworking, traditional boat building, life skills classes, and individualized mentoring, Seaport gives them the resources and transferable skill sets to pursue new opportunities, enabling them to fulfill professional and personal goals. 

Staff members, dedicated volunteers, and Program graduates nurture the untapped potential in each Apprentice who enters Seaport’s floating workshop on the Alexandria waterfront. By collaborating and working alongside these mentors and other Apprentices for six months, Apprentices discover the connection and community support they need to start transforming their lives.

Graduates of the Apprentice Program have entered the construction, carpentry, or other trade fields; the military; the maritime industry; or pursued additional schooling/training. Some Apprentices need help completing their GED, getting a driver’s license, opening a bank account, or finding stable housing – critical components to finding gainful employment and taking the next steps on their journey. 

With your generous support, the Alexandria Seaport Foundation plans to help even more young adults in 2026 with its Apprentice Program. Our goals include increasing the number of apprentices in our program, improving the effectiveness of the Program’s immersive learning components, providing more support for graduates, and extending our outreach within the community and with our partners. THANK YOU !