Riding waves of joy
Grootbos Foundation A group of teenage girls from Masakhane and Blompark in Gansbaai are riding high on the wave of mental health after being introduced to surfing as a form of therapy to combat stress and anxiety.
The 13 girls, between the ages of 13 and 15, are part of the Shewana Surf Therapy Group, an initiative launched by the Grootbos Foundation in March 2021.
Natasha Bredenkamp, the project manager, says the surf therapy group was launched to create a safe space for girls and teach them transferable skills to cope with stress, regulate behaviour, build healing relationships and make positive life choices.
She explained: “After a year of isolation, during which everyone was deeply affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a need to touch base and focus on mental health and mental resilience as we saw the effects of Covid-19 on young people living in our neighbourhoods and communities.”
Surf or Ocean Therapy has been used for a number of years as a tool to address mental health issues such as stress and to teach participants important life and coping skills. Waves of change
Waves for Change was started in 2009 by Tim Conibear from the UK and Apish Tshetsha from Masiphumelele as a small, informal weekend surf club for a handful of children from Masiphumelele.
The NGO expanded its programme to other areas such as Masiphumelele, Monwabisi, Lavender Hill, Port Elizabeth and East London. The organisation identifies and trains mentors from communities affected by issues such as poverty and violence.
The programme provides children with safe spaces, caring mentors and weekly surf therapy sessions that teach them important skills to cope with stress and make positive life choices.
Waves for Change, says Natasha, provided the Shewana Surf Therapy Group with the necessary material and training to get the project off the ground. Surfboards were supplied by Reef through Waves for Change, rash vests were sponsored by Black Girls Surf and Hurley and swim shorts were sponsored by Nextgen Surf. Grootbos Foundation also provides much-needed support on an ongoing basis.
Some of the girls, she stated, hadn’t been exposed to the ocean before. “We started with a slow introduction by just walking into the water together and then allowing the waves to hit and wash past them, checking in on each other with every step forward to ensure unity and that we were doing this safely and as a team. Once the initial nerves subsided, the girls enjoyed weekly trips to the beach.”Dipping their toes into new territory
Going out into the waves on a surfboard was another first for many of the participants, who started out nervously with their eyes closed.
As they learnt the art of catching waves, their confidence grew and they became eager to do it again.
The aim of the project, says Bredenkamp, is to teach young women to focus on their mental and physical well being.
“We see this programme as a mental health service to young females living in unstable communities,” she added.
In order to achieve this, the Shewana Surf Therapy group not only provides participants with access to caring adults and a supportive peer group but also offers them a safe, supportive environment where they have fun and can enjoy a respite from daily stresses.
Learning to master difficult tasks such as surfing and new experiences such as meditation also helps boost positive self-concept.
The girls are also taught the importance of water safety, which is vital in a coastal region where very few children can swim.
In addition to this, they learn about coastal conservation and environmental conservation.
The teens also participate in beach clean-ups and reforestation tree planting.
But everything hasn’t been smooth sailing for the Shewana Surf Therapy Group. One of the biggest challenges affecting them is the lack of access to wetsuits.
Anyone who can assist the group with new or secondhand wetsuits can contact Phil Murray of Grootbos Foundation at info@grootbosfoundation.org or phil@grootbosfoundation.org or on 028 384 8044.