W4C founding director, Tim Connibear, and W4C National Director, Robyn Cohen, launched proceedings with a welcome address before handing over to Morné du Plessis who cut the ribbon to officially declare the site open. Guests had drinks and refreshments before taking part in an interactive lesson with the W4C team.
“We are committed to providing a child-friendly mental health service in communities where mental health services are under-resourced. Since launching here six months ago, we have seen such a positive response to the programme. We already have 125 children attending each week and now the goal is to take that participation to 400,” says Cohen.
The East London site has been in operation since January after W4C partner MBSA identified the potential for setting up a centre to service Parkside and the Mdantsane township, both low-income communities that have little engagement with the ocean.
Feliciano Janneker, corporate affairs manager at Mercedes-Benz South Africa, says, "At MBSA, we recognise that sport is one of the key vehicles to drive transformation in the country. As such, we have, over the years supported various sporting initiatives with the latest being the Waves for Change Surf Therapy programme, an initiative which encourages surfing as a sport amongst the less-privileged communities and seeks to address the key issue of youth development. Running from Eastern Beach, we have funded the programme with support from Laureus Sport for Good Foundation South Africa.”
“We are therefore excited to be in this joint partnership with the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation South Africa, Waves for Change and the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, where we promote surfing and youth development in the region,” adds Janneker.
East London site manager J.D van der Walt and his team run weekly sessions that provide interactive activities focused on evidence-based 'teachable moments'. Sessions are led by trained community members that help the children participating in the programme build trust and confidence and master techniques for coping with stress.
Support from Laureus and local benefactors has been integral to the success of the programme in East London, including involvement from Emslie who, along with support from Surfing South Africa, has been working with the W4C coaches to improve their surfing skills.
Speaking about Laureus’ involvement with W4C as a wider piece, including awarding them the Laureus Sport for Good Award in Monaco earlier in the year, Morné adds, "We are really excited about the expansion of the Waves for Change project. It has been a tremendous year for the project and their respected teams, off the back of a well-deserved Laureus World Sport Award for their remarkable contribution to society. We are completely behind the team and we are certain that the East London site will have an immensely positive impact in the community.”
The launch of the East London adds a new chapter in the expansion of W4C who will look to the new centre to help refine their model for national and international growth. In addition to the three existing sites that operate in Cape Town, W4C has also launched a new site in Port Elizabeth and is currently piloting a programme in Harper, Liberia.
“It is our goal to keep building new W4C sites in countries lacking in mental health services. The success of the programme proves that surfing is a legitimate tool for social change, and has genuine therapeutic qualities that we are beginning to understand in more depth. We want to make surfing and surf therapy available to as many at-risk children and young adults as possible,” Connibear concludes.
For more information, visit www.waves-for-change.org. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.