![]() Soon Conibear had replaced his Golf with a Kombi and was spending his Saturdays ferrying up to 50 kids between Masiphumelele and Muizenberg. On the first weekend, there were four people waiting to be picked up. “I thought: ‘I get a lot out surfing, and I’m sure they will too.’ Simple as that.” … I wanted to get involved in the community,” he remembers. “When I arrived in South Africa from the UK, the inequality was just so stark. When Conibear founded the programme in 2007, it was just him, his VW Golf and four youngsters from Masiphumelele township.Ĭonibear, who grew up in the United Kingdom, moved to Cape Town in 2006 to work on a winery and then got a job with a surfing travel company. “We’ve realised that we can reach tens of thousands of people around the world by making our materials open source and by helping sports clubs of all descriptions to adapt them to suit their exact needs,” Conibear says.īut it wasn’t always this way. And this is before you factor in the thousands of children who benefit from the sports therapy programmes run by 35 partner institutions in 10 countries. With five sites in South Africa and one in Liberia, Waves for Change now delivers its surf therapy programme to 2,500 children every week. Waves for Change encourages coaches to study further and helps them to find a job when their contract expires.Ĭoaches have gone on to coach at surf resorts in Bali, join the police force, become gym instructors and, of course, work at surf shops near their home beaches. From there, they can apply for a job as a Waves for Change coach on a two-year contract. Many kids take part in surf club for five or six years, Conibear says. Kids attend one session per week for a year, after which they can go to an informal surf club on the weekends, which also includes free transport and a meal. “Once we have this tightknit group who all trust each other, we start teaching them mental health skills and coping strategies,” such as self-regulation, sharing and mindful breathing.Ĭhildren are transported to and from the beach, and each session ends with a nutritious meal. Waves for Change works with children aged 11 to 13 who are at high-risk of “toxic stress”, such as those affected by poverty, disabilities, gang violence, or a lack of access to mental health and social services, They are referred by a teacher, nurse or social worker.įor the first eight weeks, the kids simply “teach each other to surf” with the help of their coaches, Conibear says. ![]() “It’s all about giving kids from difficult backgrounds coping mechanisms and self-regulation strategies. “We aren’t trying to find the next Kelly Slater,” Tim Conibear, the 42-year-old founder and CEO of Waves for Change, tells Al Jazeera, referring to the great United States surfer. Zelanga says there’s more actual surfing when the neurotypical kids come in the afternoons, but he also says this isn’t the point: “Therapy comes first, surfing is second.” Waves for Change works with children aged 11 to 13 Īnd with good reason: Children in South Africa’s townships can frequently experience traumatic events, and there’s a dearth of social workers and psychologists in their communities. While they play, the coaches are on hand to reassure them – and to encourage them to use their newly acquired breathing skills to cope with the unfamiliar environment. Most of the participants are content with splashing around in the waves – many of them can’t swim – but a few try their hand at bodyboarding. “I am thankful for my parents,” says another.Īfter about 20 minutes on the beach, it’s time to get into the ocean. “I am thankful for my coaches,” one says. There’s no pressure to share these with the group, but a few brave souls put up their hands. Next the children are taken through a series of breathing exercises and encouraged to think of things they’re thankful for. And I am thankful that I am still breathing.” “I am thankful that I found Waves for Change,” Zelanga says. The day’s lesson, coach Bulelani Zelanga informs Al Jazeera, is called Thankful Take 5.įirst, the coaches list three things they’re thankful for. But before the budding surfers get near the water, they must do a land-based mental health session. A gentle offshore breeze is blowing, and neat rows of waves stack up invitingly towards Cape Point. Keep reading list of 4 items list 1 of 4 ‘I connect to the pain’: Finding a second chance in ultrarunning list 2 of 4 ‘I had to be brave’: Clare Shine’s journey back from the brink list 3 of 4 When no one wants to listen: How being heard saved me from suicide list 4 of 4 How the Israel war, blockade affect mental health of Palestinian children end of listĪfter trading their school uniforms for wetsuits, the students gather on Cape Town’s Muizenberg Beach.
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