South African learners from the Cape Town region are always ready when it’s time to go surfing – and would everyday if they could! Every month around 20 students participate in a surfing workshop aimed at engaging, empowering and uplifting disadvantaged and at-risk children. This has been made possible through an ongoing collaboration between Education without Borders (EwB), Surf without Borders (SwB) and the 9Miles Project that launched in 2020.
Fifty learners have now gone through the surfing program to date, and students come from schools that also offer Education without Borders (EwB) after-school support programs such as Mseki Primary and Bellville South Primary.
Surf without Borders (SwB) was started by Co-Founders Guy Cohen and Nathan Paul, offering surfing programs to empower and uplift underprivileged communities. “EwB inspired us. We saw what EwB was doing for communities in the Cape Town region of South Africa, and we wanted to do the same with surfing,” says Nathan Paul. “Surfing has had such an impact on our lives, so when the opportunity came up, it was perfect timing.”
Founder of 9Miles Project, Nigel Savel adds that “every month when these young people come, there is a light in their eyes, there is hope, and we see transformation every single session. We are not just surfing, we offer life empowerment and personal development.” The 9Miles Project is a social venture that creates safe spaces and structured after-school programs, such as sports programming, for youth at-risk in coastal communities of South Africa.
This partnership brings uplifting surfing experiences to South African youth, who would otherwise not have the opportunity. If you are interested in learning more, visit Surf without Borders and the 9Miles Project websites.