ST FRANCIS BAY – A partnership between the 9Miles Project, Wave Point Foundation and the Rotary Club of St Francis is helping to create opportunities for children in Sea Vista through surfing, mentorship and youth development programmes.

The 9Miles Project, founded by Nigel and Sher’Neil Savel in response to the need for safe and nurturing environments for children from marginalised coastal communities, was initially established in Cape Town.

The organisation now operates across three priority sites: Cape Town, Elands Bay and St Francis Bay.

Programme facilitator, Showney Adams, said the St Francis Surf and Youth Project was established in April 2017, as part of the 9Miles Project. She said the programmes initially ran at the Main Beach Lifesaving hut until 2019, with staff from Cape Town visiting the area every six to eight weeks while a local coach remained on the ground to support the programme.

Adams said that as the boys in the programme matured, the focus evolved towards young adult initiatives, including internships and life skills development.

She said that in 2025, the 9Miles Project relaunched its work in Sea Vista by hosting holiday programmes for children in the area and introducing a weekly surf and mentorship programme for 15 children.

The project, which began working with Jeffreys Bay-based Wave Point Foundation earlier this year, currently hosts weekly surf and mentorship sessions for children in Sea Vista.

Adams said Wave Point Foundation visits the area once a week to assist children with surfing, but the partnership has highlighted the need for more equipment to allow more young people to participate.

“Wave Point is rallying together to get donations of surf items for these children, many of whom do not have any surfing clothing or equipment,” said Adams.

She added that more children often join the 9Miles Project during school holidays.

The project currently runs various programmes managed by Adams, Danielle Paulsen (programme manager) and Jaywin Coenraad (surfing coach and life skills facilitator).

Adams said that while the programme had continued to run smoothly since restarting in June 2025, a lack of volunteers remained a challenge. “We currently only run the programme twice a week, but if we had more volunteers, we could run the programme multiple times a week,” said Adams.

She said the project also does not currently have a dedicated facility and relies on local churches to host programmes on rainy days.

“It is a very nice programme, but it needs a lot of hands to do a lot more in the community,” said Adams.

Wave Point Foundation founder Cjay Jansen said the organisation was established in Jeffreys Bay in 2020 to raise, develop and empower future leaders through its healing, learning and leading model. He said the foundation supports children from disadvantaged communities through surf-based therapy, supplementary education and character and leadership development.

“Surfing helps children regulate emotionally, rebuild confidence and experience belonging. The ocean gives rhythm and safety; consistent mentors build trust,” said Jansen.

The foundation currently has 40 children participating in its weekly surfing and mentoring programme, with sessions taking place four days a week for both primary and high school learners.

Jansen said a typical afternoon begins with a welcome activity, including free play, table tennis or games.

He said primary school learners participate in leadership sessions focused on character development before putting on wetsuits and heading into the water, while high school learners receive support with homework and reading.

Jansen said the focus alternates between the groups throughout the week. He also said the programme had resulted in noticeable improvements among the children.

“Since joining, the kids show noticeably more confidence and more respect for one another. They are calmer, thanks to the therapeutic nature of surfing, and most importantly, their reading and social skills have improved,” said Jansen.

To help more children access the programme, Wave Point Foundation is seeking donations of second-hand surfboards, bodyboards and wetsuits.

Jansen said that as surfing is an expensive sport, donated equipment made a significant difference for children who would otherwise not have access to the necessary gear.

“Wetsuits and surfboards are the biggest expense. Donated gear makes a huge difference when there is no budget to equip every child, and right now, in winter, a wetsuit makes a massive difference in the cold water,” said Jansen. He said wetsuits are currently the most urgent need, particularly for children aged between nine and 15 years old, for both boys and girls.

To assist, the Rotary Club of St Francis has launched a collection drive to gather second-hand surfboards, bodyboards and wetsuits.

Rotary Club member, Sam Verbaan, said the initiative followed a proposal and sponsorship request from Jansen.

“Rotary then decided to organise a drive for the donation of second-hand surfboards, wetsuits and bodyboards to support this initiative,” said Verbaan.

The collection began on 2 July and will run until 31 July. Verbaan said the initiative aligned with Rotary’s ongoing goal of supporting sustainable youth development sporting projects in the community.

“This initiative shows our intent to be involved in a sport-focused project with immediate needs, a project that not only focuses on teaching kids to surf, but also provides a safe, consistent space where young people can develop discipline, self-esteem and a sense of belonging,” said Verbaan.

He added that the St Francis community was uniquely positioned to support the initiative.

“We live in an environment that affords us the ability to make full use of our ocean. By supporting this initiative, we are giving the kids from Sea Vista the opportunity to also enjoy the benefits that our ocean has to offer, and to learn skills that might otherwise not be afforded to them,” said Verbaan. He said donations of second-hand surfboards, bodyboards and wetsuits can be dropped off at Pam Golding St Francis Bay, River Club St Francis Bay and Seal Point Estates in Cape St Francis.

Jansen encouraged members of the public to support the initiative and become involved.

“Share Wave Point with friends and family. We would love people to come down to the beach and see the impact surfing is having on the kids in our community,” said Jansen.

ALSO READ: Boy cares for dogs left behind after owner fled to Zimbabwe