70 children across three communities!

With your support Surfpop is now supporting 70 children across three communities through its holistic program model! The new children, referred by foster care and social workers working in the three previously disadvantaged communities of Masiphumelele, Ocean View and Khayelitsha, joined between May and October. We are beyond stoked (happy) with our growing Surfpop family, creating a much needed safe, stable and happy environment for more children after school.

Growing our Masiphumelele program

Between May and August, we expanded our Masiphumelele program to 52 children, inviting 20 new children from Masiphumelele township and the neighbouring poor community of Ocean View to join. The first months were very exciting!

The new children braved the cold winter ocean and caught their first waves, while starting their swimmming lessons at a local swim school too. All children, new and old, joined the Swim like a Shark workshop by AfriOceans, where they experienced life underwater. They learned from professional surfers Joshe Faulkner and Matt Bromley and joined yoga lessons, gardening classes, music workshops, a workshop on sustainable entrepreneurship by the local brand BALLO and beach clean-ups. Our 15+ learners had the amazing opportunity to participate in the Ambassadors for the Ocean program facilitated by Ocean Pledge, the Toastmasters World Champion Verity Price and Dawn Patrol Wines, building their confidence in speaking up for the ocean. And of course, all Surfpop children worked hard on their school work, Maths and English in our Surfpop classrooms.

Opening a new program in Khayelitsha

In October we opened our new campus in Khayelitsha township, where we trained a new local team and invited 18 new children to join the Surfpop family. The first month in the ocean and in our classrooms with our new team and the new children from Khayelitsha were incredible. The children caught their first waves, learned to float in a tidal pool, visited the Save our Seas Foundation, joined their first classroom sessions and did their first beach clean-up. We cannot wait to witness the children grow and develop, as they benefit from our holistic program model.