Surfpop

  Verificato da Volunteer World
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rating

5

Eccezionale


12

Recensioni


9

anni di attività

Surfpop aims to uplift children and youth from disadvantaged communities around Muizenberg, Cape Town, through a proven formula of surfing, education and life coaching.
Surfpop offers 70 children from the disadvantaged communities of Masiphumelele, Ocean View and Khayelitsha, of whom half are girls, a safe space and stimulating program five days a week after school. Children are referred through foster care, social workers and schools. We believe in a long-term ...

Descrizione della recensione

Surfpop offers 70 children from the disadvantaged communities of Masiphumelele, Ocean View and Khayelitsha, of whom half are girls, a safe space and stimulating program five days a week after school. Children are referred through foster care, social workers and schools. We believe in a long-term vision to create a better life for the children. Surfpop really becomes a second family for them and we support each child until they can access better future opportunities in the form of a tertiary education or job. Each week the children participate in two surf sessions, two education classes and one life coaching activity, complemented by daily nutritious meals.

Surfing is the life and soul of Surfpop. As a sport, surfing connects the children with the beauty and power of the ocean. It opens their eyes to a new way of life by being active, healthy and closely connected to nature. In the townships children are exposed to violence and other forms of trauma. The ocean and surfing can have powerful healing effects. With a playing field that is constantly changing and defined by the force of the ocean, surfing is a sport that teaches participants self-belief, determination and perseverance and creates a deep sense of belonging: the Surfpop participants do not just define themselves as children from a township; they define themselves as surfers, being part of a surf community with people from all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Each week the children join two team-focused surf sessions in Muizenberg. The sessions start with a fitness and yoga routine on the beach, followed by surf guidance in the ocean. At the end of each session, the coaches facilitate a reflection: a safe space where the children can share how the session made them feel and what they have learned and where our coaches instil key values. The surf sessions are complemented by swimming lessons. To nurture the love for the ocean, our beneficiaries also learn how to care for their environment through beach clean-ups and other educational activities that guide them in becoming true ocean guardians.


Education forms an important element of the Surfpop program formula. Each week after school, the children attend two education sessions in the Surfpop classroom. During these sessions the children are supported by qualified teachers with their homework and participate in a mix of high quality online, one-on-one and interactive learning programs focused on Maths, English and computer literacy. We implement recognised learning programs which have been proven to work in the South African context, for example Jolly Phonics and Oxford Reading Safari in our English program, and NumberSense and Olico in our Maths program, which are tailored to the individual learning level of each child, are aligned with the South African CAPS curriculum, and make learning fun!


Life coaching boosts the children’s resilience and emotional awareness, develops important life skills and guides them towards sustainable employment. The children join one life coaching activity each week. We guide the primary school children to become more resilient and emotionally aware, teach them important coping skills and relevant life skills through a variety of workshops and help them to start dreaming about their future. With the high school learners we take this one step further. In partnership with local businesses and organisations we facilitate vocational workshops to open their eyes to a world of possibilities and dreams and widen their network. We also guide them in setting and achieving goals towards their dream future throughout high school and assist them with accessing tertiary education or sustainable employment after school.


Each day Surfpop provides the children with a nutritious meal to give them an extra boost in the water and extra mental clarity when solving problems in the classroom. We cook our nutritious meals with dried foods provided by the Lunchbox Fund and fresh vegetables that are harvested from our own Surfpop vegetable garden. The children learn about the importance of nutritious food and in the Surfpop vegetable garden learn how to grow their own vegetables and fruits.


Persona di contatto

Daniel Botha

  Tasso di risposta eccellente

Surfpop recensioni

Jasper rating5,0

2023 at Surf Instructor and Tutor

Surfpop is a great organization! Every person who works for Surfpop wants to help the children in need. I’m really happy that I could help them for 2 months, I will never forget it! The staff are lovely people, and the kids are full of energy. It is a good combination of surfing, volunteer work ...
Matt Brady rating5,0

2023 at Surf Instructor and Tutor

Hi, my name is Matt Brady and I am a traveler from the United States. I found out about Surfpop through a friend who told me only the most amazing things about this program, and after volunteering in April I can say that it truly only exceeded those high expectations. Learning how to surf from the ...
Jack Dobber rating5,0

2022 at Surf Instructor and Tutor

I really enjoyed my experience with Surfpop. It’s a great way to get to meet new people and help the community, but also to enjoy your time in South Africa. I really liked working with the children and it was very rewarding to see that they were having fun and improving, in both school and in the ...
Talea Hywege rating5,0

2021 at Surf Instructor and Tutor

My name is Talea. I’m from Germany and I spent 7 weeks with Surfpop as a volunteer. To be honest, it was one of the best decisions I made to fly all the way to Cape Town and join the Surfpop Family. In those 7 weeks I met the nicest people and made memories I’ll never forget. To have the ...
Justus Van Spaandonck rating5,0

2021 at Surf Instructor and Tutor

Hi, I am Justus van Spaandonck from the Netherlands. In my gap year, I wanted to combine something sporty with doing something good for society. Through Surfpop, I found the perfect combination. In the morning, you go surfing with your Surfpop friends, guided by good surf coaches, where you improve ...
Sophia Birkigt rating5,0

2021 at Surf Instructor and Tutor

I really enjoyed the two months at Surfpop. I wouldn't have wanted to miss the experiences that I was able to have there. The children are so warm and grateful. It was fun helping them with schoolwork and surfing. While the children learn from you, you also learn from them. For example, to ...

Surfpop inserzioni


Surfpop località


Surfpop focus del progetto


UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • Good Health And Well-Being