"Our youth are powerful. We know the solutions to the problems we face. We just need the training and support to face and overcome them. This is what we are doing at Waves for Change." W4C co-founder, Apish Tshetsha
Our evidence-based surf therapy programme is designed to provide youth with the opportunity to have vital experiences which meet their psychological, developmental and well-being needs by:
- providing access to caring adults and a supportive peer group,
- building a positive self-concept by independently mastering difficult new tasks such as surfing and meditation, and
- offering respite from the stress caused by the adversity they experience daily.
We recognise the impact this stress has on children’s health and development. Our mission is to prioritise their well-being and support them in taking agency over their emotions and behaviours, in order to live healthy and happy lives.
Over the last seven years, W4C has worked with community stakeholders, local and international universities, and referral partners to design and deliver a cost-effective and inclusive youth-focused well-being service. At the heart of our programme are youth from the same or similar contexts to our participants, who we recruit based on their values and commitment to being change-makers in their community. We support their work as surf therapy mentors by investing in their skills and understanding, and providing the resources - such as transport, lesson plans, surf boards, on-going management, and access to psychologists - they need to deliver impactful surf therapy sessions.
Our team of over 40 surf therapy mentors positively impact the lives of over 1000 children through weekly surf therapy sessions, and our vision remains the same as when we started our first weekend surf club in 2009: change lives, one wave at a time.
Head to our website for more info, to support our work, access well-being activities, and for info on starting your own surf therapy programme.
