Peninsula Marine Institute Turns Kids Around

Peninsula Marine Institute was established in 1988 and is a non-residential educational program for juvenile offenders, combining the academic and marine environments to provide an alternative to state incarceration. PMI exists in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice and the Newport News Public Schools.

Students are assigned to this program through the courts, if they had succeeded in a traditional school setting, they probably wouldn't be here. That's why the institute takes a unique approach to education through one of Hampton Roads greatest assets - the sea.

With it, we not only capture their interest, we broaden their world. Our instructors use both classroom instruction and hands on experience. Students begin to connect what they learn in class with the world around them and, kids learn that many opportunities exist outside their own neighborhoods.

Peninsula Marine Institute emphasizes basic academic skills - along with a marine oriented curriculum. The student to instructor ratio is 7:1, allowing for individual attention. Classes include aquatics, seamanship, marine science, aqua culture first aid and CPR. Students also participate in classes that prepare them for work and living on their own.

The average length of stay in the program is six months, depending on the individual. Students graduate only by earning their General Equivalence Diploma, re-enrolling in their neighborhood school, starting college or by getting a job. The institute then provides follow-up supervision and support during the transition period.

As a non-profit program, PMI receives support from both public and private sources. If you have time or resources to donate, please call us at 757-245-3556. Your help will truly make a difference.