OUR JOURNEY has brought us here...
It started 12 years ago, as did our love affair with the sport of kings. Surfing became a way of life for our family, not only did it become our sport but also our livelihood and now our passion to make a difference. Through our love of this sport and following our daughter Tarryn Chudleigh's professional surfing career, we encountered a number of children that needed financial assistance or support to continue surfing and competing. Tarryn highlighted this issue first when she started donating her old boards and wetsuits.
We soon realized the opportunities that surfing offered to children from disadvantaged communities and a new passion was found giving back to our sport and our community. Since those early days we have seen so many children learn to surf and gain valuable life skills. On our journey we have seen so many of the children's first's..the first wave, the first contest, the first win, the first time they collect their pay for being a surf instructor and the first time they realize it's now their turn to give back.
Surfing as a sport or active recreation is a powerful tool for change, it provides an excellent medium for the youth from disadvantage communities to learn valuable life skills and to positively contribute back to society.
In the words of Nelson Mandela,"Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else can. Sport can awaken hope where there was previously only despair."
Learning to surf is a privilege that few have the option to do for different reason, living near an ocean being one of the most restrictive, the other is financial.
Surfshack G.I.V.E project and Dreams to Reality Foundation believe if you live near the sea and in fact according to NatGeo one of the top 20 beaches, to learn to surf in the world, then money shouldn't be the reason a CHILD doesn't get to follow their Dreams of surfing.
We now have two different volunteer programs you can join to help keep children from disadvantage communities surfing, dreaming and believing.
Check out our partners Dreams to Reality Foundation to find out more or to book your place on their surf program go to IVHQ. www.volunteerhq.org.
You can contact us for our own in house project.
e-mail david@surfshack.co.za
G.I.V.E Project is a holistic approach to creating opportunities for the youth through learning to surf and interacting with the ocean, the volunteers and their peers on various levels. We hope to positively engage the youth teaching them about rules, fair-play, ethics, sportsmanship and most importantly teamwork. Our goal is to teach the youth the value of belonging to a TEAM and not a GANG.
The project seeks to encourage the youth form disadvantaged communities to be the leaders of tomorrow-taking action to improve themselves,their communities and enhancing the sustainability of our oceans through their love for the sport of surfing.
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