Over 11 hopeful years, the 9Miles Project has shown that sometimes, the answers to complicated questions like ‘how do we uplift our communities’ are actually fairly simple. Sometimes, you just have to take it one wave at a time:
Cape Town, South Africa (30 May 2024) — Eleven years ago, Nigel Savel and his wife Sher’Neil decided that a few boards, crashing waves and the thrill of the surf might just be the answer to some of Cape Town’s most pressing problems; namely crime-infused communities, where one wrong turn can lead to a life of gangsterism. Could something as simple as surfing really have that much of a positive impact? There were sceptics who wondered the same. But over a decade onward and upward, the 9Miles Project has shown that sometimes, the answers to complicated questions like ‘How do we uplift our communities?’ are actually fairly simple. Sometimes, you just have to take it one wave at a time.
What began in 2013 as a way for Nigel to share the same positive impact surfing had on his own life has grown into a beautiful movement against the backdrop of Cape Town’s coasts.
Named after what Nigel shares was ‘the safe space in [his] life’, 9Miles isn’t just a place where youngsters can enjoy the sea and learn some new tricks. Its a community away from the negative influences prevalent in many informal settlements near the coast. A place where role models aren’t gangsters or drug dealers. A home amongst the waves.
The majority of children part of the 9Miles Project are reportedly illiterate or are not strong readers. Additionally, many come from single-parent homes where money is incredibly tight. Given these circumstances, it’s easy to understand that the likelihood of these children breaking out of poverty cycles is not high. Here, 9Miles offers a chance to make the break, catch wave after wave of opportunity, and become empowered.
Beyond the surf therapy programme (the drawcard), 9Miles offers an after-school programme, literacy and academic support, social enterprise opportunities (like the surf repair shop), an environmental programme, and food and holistic support, among so much more. But ultimately, it’s all about safe spaces.
“We create safe spaces for youth at risk in coastal communities of South Africa,” shares Nigel.
“…At the same time we building leaders because our main goal is to raise up agents of change within these communities within these societies.
The Project has certainly navigated its own ebbs and flows like many other community initiatives and non-profits in South Africa. But, this week, they celebrated their 11th birthday. 11 years of overcoming the challenges, 11 years of hope, and 11 years of changing lives, one wave at a time.
Watch: 9Miles Project in Action
You can keep up with the 9Miles community here.
by 