Groundswell Aid
By nature, surfers have an unusual desire to travel to the ends of the Earth in search of perfect waves. This pursuit often brings surfers face to face with poverty not commonly seen by tourists.
As he toured the world, Roy Harley; International Director of Christian Surfers and founder of Groundswell Aid; saw that surfers across the globe were getting involved in community development and social justice; both locally and as they travelled further afield looking for waves.
Partnering with programs which incorporate surfing as a way to impact their communities, Groundswell Aid’s 7 ongoing projects are working to make a difference in the lives of those who need it most.
What is a Groundswell?
the term ‘groundswell’ has two definitions:
1. a considerable swell of the sea, caused by a distant storm. The passage of waves as they make their way into shallow water.
2 : a rapid spontaneous growth in opinion, feeling, or action. (Eg. “a groundswell of support”.)
Groundswell Aid
The Mission:
To harness the resources of the surfing community to aid the global community
The Vision:
Generate a groundswell that connects with every surfing community
The Goal:
To mobilise a groundswell of positive change through surfing.
Groundswell Community Aid Projects
Hope House is a non-governmental organization in Mauritius with the purpose of social upliftment. While the island is a paradise to some, many locals suffer under the negative impacts of poverty, poor education, lack of opportunities, and unemployment.
Founded in early 2014, Hope House implements three main programs; teaching, training, and mentoring, empowering people in difficult circumstances to create a new future for themselves.
They believe in helping people to help themselves. By doing this, people can make a sustainable difference in their communities both economically and socially. With this in mind, all programs have the aim of self-sufficiency and economic independence. They have already created several opportunities for those whom they are working with and it has been encouraging to see the changes in their lives.
La Red or “The Net” is a non-profit organization run by the Castellanos family.
They are a long-standing grassroots project that has been instrumental in empowering and uplifting the local community of El Tunco in El Salvador. They accomplish this by improving infrastructure, facilitating education and positively impacting the culture in a transformative, empowering way. Their end goal is to elevate the local community’s quality of life by eradicating poverty, illness and social exclusion.
Aleph Surf has been in operation for 10 years. When we began, it was to give kids from disadvantaged communities the opportunity to ride a wave and as they learn how to master the waves, they would in turn learn how to take charge of their own lives and their future. The heart of Aleph Surf is to give opportunities. These opportunities may come in the form of learning how to surf, receiving help with education and engaging with important lifeskills.
Aleph Surf is a resource in that we recognize that each person, no matter their background or culture, has endless potential that can be unlocked once they receive the necessary input and mentorship. For a seed to grow, it needs to be planted in the right conditions, thus each person has the ability to grown and be fruitful. Aleph Surf is the facilitator of these conditions.
South Beach Stoke seeks to make a difference in the lives of the street kids and the lost in Durban, South Africa. Every Saturday morning they meet on South Beach, regardless of weather conditions, share a Bible lesson and a "Green Message" (a lesson on the impact of pollution on the environment and fun facts about sea life), run beach clean-ups to help the anti-litter initiative.
The hope is to take the crew surfing every Saturday, but even when conditions are not right, they play soccer, touch-rugby, and ride skateboards with the kids. When the surf lesson or other activity is finished South Beach Stoke provides a meal. For some of the children this is the only meal they will get on that day.
There is a core group of kids who have been engaged from the beginning and some that travel 80km from Ballito to join us each week. It is South Beach Stoke’s goal to walk alongside these young people until they are successful and independent.
Mercy Huts, established in 2012, exists to benefit local people living in poverty in Indonesia through the provision of education, employment and financial aid. This will be achieved through the development of beachfront retreats for holiday-makers that give back to the local community.
The first of these is located in Rote Island, Indonesia. Helping to promote human rights, preserve the environment, and creating a sustainable, community-based tourism industry. They want to give others the opportunity to enjoy beachside holidays that empower indigenous communities - to enjoy holidays with purpose.
Wave Point Foundation is a non profit organisation based in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa.
It is the outreach ministry of Wave Point Church, led by Ps Cjay & Natalie Jansen.
Their aim is to raise up leaders and give the youth of Jeffreys Bay the best chance at living life to the fullest: active, healthy and in touch with nature. Wave Point Foundation endeavor to give youth the opportunity to truly lift themselves out of poverty and positively impact their families, social networks and community.
They care deeply for the Jbay community and the surrounding areas, and embrace opportunities to extend Jesus' love in genuine and practical ways through community outreach projects.
Pura Vida’s goal is to use sports to minister to locals and create a sense of community. Within the facility, there are a number of different programs that include a coffee shop/restaurant, an indoor semi Olympic-size pool, a gym, and several multipurpose rooms used by different groups throughout the week. They have built a membership model similar to fitness clubs but with a much broader impact.
Many pro surfers train with them as well as recreational surfers and they have hosted a number of surf contests and beach festivals over the years. Pura Vida is now known as the surf-training center for that region of Chile.
In five years, they hope to have a fully developed community center that serves the surrounding city through sports, fitness, surf, skate, counseling, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, special needs ministry, dance, aerobics, home school co-operative and a host of other services. All of these ministries are already moving ahead but still have much room for growth and improvement.
WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN GROUNDSWELL AID?
WEBSITE: www.groundswellaid.org
SHOP: www.groundswellaid.org/store
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