Waves of Change is doing a Surf Therapy session with the public for World Mental Health Day on the 10th of October 2023; this is how to join.
South Africa (27 September 2023) – Waves for Change, an organisation dedicated to providing mental health support services to children in under-resourced communities through the power of Surf Therapy, is calling on the public to join them on Tuesday 10 October 2023, World Mental Health Day, for their first ever public immersion session.
The aim of the session is to get as many participants as possible to join hands and take part in the session, which celebrates and promotes early intervention against chronic stress and trauma in vulnerable children through effective trauma therapy and helpful mindfulness techniques.
Immersion is a technique to help children with toxic stress learn to manage their fears and anxiety. Immersion is the first session that introduces Surf Therapy participants to the water on their first day at Surf Therapy. During this session, participants learn about Waves for Change’s culture to Respect, Protect, and Communicate as they enter the water together and learn positive peer engagement through trust and listening to each other and learning to connect to their feelings and their body’s biofeedback.
“Children who grow up in South African townships have an eight times greater exposure to traumatic events than children growing up in affluent areas. Constant or prolonged exposure to trauma and adversity develops into toxic stress which has negative implications on a child’s development; they need urgent support to be able to overcome their circumstances,” says Tim Conibear, co-founder of Waves for Change.
“We need to find ways of making it easier for people to say ‘I’m not ok’ and we need to find ways of making it easier for people to get the help that they need when they’re at their most vulnerable.” adds Conibear.
The 2023 global theme for World Mental Health Day is: ‘Mental Health is a Universal Right’ to promote universal access to mental health support.
Waves for Change began in 2009 as a small, informal weekend surf club for a handful of children from Masiphumele Township in Cape Town and registered as an NPO and public benefit organisation in 2011.
“It was evident that children were coming because they felt safe, heard, and connected,” says Conibear.
Since then, Waves for Change has developed a solid scientific evidence base for Surf Therapy as a low-cost, feasible way of supporting children experiencing toxic stress.
Every year, Waves for Change (W4C) reaches 2,500 children and adolescents through Surf Therapy. Each of the children who participate weekly is referred by schools, social workers, the Western Cape Department of Education and local hospitals, serving children across 43 under-resourced communities in Cape Town, such as Khayelitsha, the Cape Flats and Hout Bay. Waves for Change also operates in Gqebera and East London, where access to mental health services is extremely limited.
Waves for Change Beach Hubs and trained community surf coaches create a safe space where vulnerable children are referred to find belonging, learn new skills, build confidence, and create positive behaviours toward mental wellness. Research shows that it takes eight weeks for children’s central nervous systems to settle when they attend weekly, but for the benefits to be realised, they need a longer-term service which aligns with the school terms.
“I thought Waves for Change was about surfing, not knowing it’s a life-changing opportunity. It isn’t about the kids only, it’s about everyone – coaches, kids, and bringing back to the community,” says Zilungile, a Youth Coach at Waves for Change who himself went through the programme and will be taking part in the session on Tuesday 10 October.
Waves of emotion
Children in the programme experience an average of eight traumatic/adverse events every year, which decreases their self-esteem and impacts their physical health. These include seeing someone being shot, no food at home, emotional or physical abuse/neglect, bereavement, substance misuse, family economic hardship. Still, children were found to have had little-to-no access to much-needed mental health services.
Children aged 10 – 14 attend Surf Therapy sessions once a week for a year. Thereafter, children are invited to join Saturday Surf Clubs, where they continue to surf under the guidance of youth surf coaches. Many eventually become Surf Coaches themselves.
A recent study into Waves for Change’s Surf Therapy programme and its impact on Risk Taking and Interpersonal Closeness Among Violence Exposed-Youth in South Africa (Beranbaum, 2022), makes a firm recommendation that Surf Therapy be included in interventions looking to improve children’s resilience and recovery from Toxic Stress.
Forty Surf Mentors from communities are trained in Surf Coaching, First Aid, Counselling, and Child Safeguarding. All youth coaches have access to a debrief psychologist to share experiences and adequately refer children where needed. After two years, and after receiving their own transition mentorship, coaches exit the organisation.
Research results back up the Waves for Change’s Surf Therapy curriculum. Based on a PhD and ongoing research and learning informs all programme adaptations and affirmations so the programme is evidence-based and evidence-informed.
Multiple studies have been done and are still in progress to build supporting evidence and ensure that children in the programme are getting the mental health benefits they require.
- 94% feel safer and have learnt to do new things like swim and surf
- Coaches report a 56% decrease in aggression
- 96% feel happier
- 93% feel more confident
- 83% calm down when they feel sad, angry or scared
- 73% of caregivers/parents reported improved school performance in their child
Let’s get amped – together!
The upcoming immersion session is open to any and all members of the public. Meet at 10.30 am sharp at Muizenberg Beach on Tuesday 10 October on the beach in front of the Waves for Change beach site (opposite the Shark Spotters site). You’ll connect with the coaches, do a mental health check-in, and at 10.45 am all enter the water at the same time. You will get wet, so dress appropriately!
If you’re outside of Cape Town, you can mobilise your community and run your own Immersion or mental health activity. Get in touch with the Waves for Change team for more information and support here.
You can also help them raise funds to help more children access Surf Therapy. You can donate here.
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