Since 2011, Waves for Change has been providing surf therapy programs to children in South Africa’s most violent townships. As a follow-up to their recent slot at the Jeffreys Bay pro – we thought we’d dive a little deeper into their work, addressing childhood trauma in some of Cape Town’s most violent townships.
W4C have been working with the University of Cape Town to map where kids attending their programs come from. Research has found that over half of W4C children have witnessed a murder, more than two thirds have seen a member of their family taken away by the police, and two thirds enter the program with emotional or conduct disorders.
Waves for Change works in communities identified by the government of the Western Cape as areas of high violence, where social structures have broken down and few organizations are able to operate. They provide safe spaces for young people after school, in ocean-side communities with no history of ocean use or surf culture. Waves for Change brings caring adults, counseling, nutrition and of course, surf sessions to these kids in need. Part of Wave for Change’s therapy is its signature “Psycho-Education curriculum”, a surf-based curriculum that takes key life lessons and unpacks them through surfing.
Editor’s Note: In October, Waves for Change is up for the “Best Sport and Health” program at the London 2015 Beyond Sport Awards. Join us in wishing the guys well and send them support by liking their Facebook page and sharing their award-winning new video.
