Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Surfing used as therapy tool for Liberian children
WANT to find a new location to surf the waves and see unexplored beaches? You might want to spend your next holiday in the Liberian city of Harper. The US-based musician Sal Masekela (son of the late Hugh) has teamed up with the founder of Waves for Change, Tim Conibear to launch a Kickstarter campaign and raise funds to build a surf club in Harper.
“I have a platform and an audience built from 20 years in the entertainment business. It would be foolish and selfish of me to not use it to promote something like this Waves For Change project in Liberia,” Masekela said.
To date, the campaign has raised more than $17 000 (R239 000) and need to raise just over $26 000 by May 4 to reach their goal. The Waves for Change club began underneath an almond tree at a beach that was no longer been used by beachgoers. The club aims at using surf therapy to help children from violent and impoverished communities.
“Learning to surf doesn’t necessarily change the context children live in, but it does help them cope better with their immediate circumstances.
“We find through surfing and surf therapy that children develop a sense of belonging and safety, improved self-confidence and also learn new skills to cope with positive and negative emotions,” Conibear said.
The Harper Sliders surf club is run by Waves for Change, a world-leading Surf Therapy organisation. The surf club works with children who have been affected by violence in their communities and where the mental health services have been stigmatised.
“In the communities where Waves for Change works, the children and adults we work with experience above-average levels of stress and trauma. This impacts on how they behave and react to different events.
“Creating an outlet for them, and a safe space where they can learn new ways to cope with what’s going on, is having a lot of positive benefits. We’ve seen big drops in violent behaviour, improved school performance, improved resilience to trauma,” Conibear said.
To date, Waves for Change has helped more than 140 children.