What started as a few surfboards on a beach became a movement to make mental well-being support accessible to thousands of young people.
Watch the full W4C segment in David Blough's documentary XXI – The Sport of Solutions on our YouTube page.
#SurfTherapy #Neuroplasticity #MentalHealthAwareness #SecondChances #YoureRightOnTime #ChildrensMentalHealth
Adolescents in South Africa are under pressure.
More than 50% of 15–18-year-olds show elevated symptoms of depression, and over 30% of 10–14-year-olds are affected too.
In communities facing multi-dimensional poverty, these challenges are often intensified by stress, instability, and limited access to care.
But there is hope.
Adolescence is a second window of growth. A time when the brain is still flexible, and early interventions can change the trajectory of a young person’s life.
Surf Therapy is one of those interventions. It blends the healing power of the ocean with the evidence-based Take 5 Model, creating safe, youth-led spaces where adolescents can manage stress, regulate emotions, and build connection.
You’re right on time to help young people thrive.
#SurfTherapy #Neuroplasticity #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmonth #secondchances #yourerightontime #childrensmentalhealth
Through times of change, some things stay constant.
Our commitment to African surf is one of them.
2% of all Mami Wata sales go back into African surf communities through partners like Waves for Change — where surf becomes a tool for healing, growth and opportunity.
Today, we celebrate a truly special moment for the Waves for Change community. 🌊
Our CEO, Tim Conibear, has been awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in recognition of his outstanding services to young people overseas through the work of Waves for Change.
Presented as part of the 2025 honours, this recognition reflects years of collective effort to create safe spaces where children and young people can build resilience, connection, belonging, and hope through Surf Therapy.
On Wednesday, 13 May, the British Consulate team formally delivered Tim’s recognition scroll a proud and meaningful moment shared across the entire Waves for Change community.
Congratulations, Tim. This honour belongs not only to your leadership, but to every coach, young person, partner, and community who continues to believe in the power of care, connection, and change. 💙
#WavesForChange #MBE #YouthMentalHealth #SurfTherapy #Community MentalHealth YouthEmpowerment Impact SouthAfrica
📣 SPECIAL EDITION 📣 🇿🇦 🌊 💚
💡 INSPIRE SERIES 010: THE EXPERIENCE EFFECT. A CHARITY PARTNERSHIP BUILT ON SHARED BELIEFS
Published during Mental Health Awareness Month, this special Inspire Series piece hears directly from two young people, Sinakho and Lisakhanya, whose lives have been shaped through meaningful experiences through surf therapy via our charity partner @wavesforchange in Africa. 🌊
As Nteractive is an experience led business because we believe real outcomes come from participation rather than instruction. When experiences are designed with care, they build confidence, strengthen belonging and help shift futures. This belief sits at the heart of the work carried out by Waves for Change.
This piece explores the idea that change happens when something lands emotionally, when barriers drop and when genuine connection clicks. That defining moment is what we call the Experience Effect. Waves for Change lives the Experience Effect every single day, using experience as a powerful tool for connection, resilience and wellbeing of children in Africa.
Check out the digital download now on our website:
/inspire-series
For more about Waves for Change and how to show your support:
Thank you to everyone at Waves for Change for sharing their stories with us and to our partners @greenrouteafrica for introducing us especially Kerry Roos and Ilyaas Narker.
💡 Want to find out more? Click the link in our bio or drop us a message. 📩
#Nteractive #ExperienceArchitects #Events #Experiences #WavesforChange
Through a period of great change, one of the things that remains steadfast is Mami Wata’s commitment to supporting the incredible work done by Waves for Change (W4C).
African surf has the power to change lives. One of the ways that we hope to harness this power is by giving 2% of all sales back to African surf. An act of symbiosis. Afrosurfonomics in action.
Waves for Change is a non-profit organisation that provides mental wellness support, through the medium of surf and other evidence-based activities, to adolescents growing up in high-stress environments.
In addition to the 2,800 young people who attend the surf therapy programme annually, W4C also creates employment through surf coaching opportunities.
Muminah Cornelius, 23, has been at W4C since 2023, first as a coach, then as a training coach. She told us about her work, about how the swelling numbers of women attending the programme is changing the surf landscape, and about her own personal growth.
Watch the reel, feel the stoke. Afrosurfonomics.
@wavesforchange@mumain_cornelius
🌊💙 Building stronger circles of care, connection, and support.
This past Saturday, our Hout Bay team of coaches, Site Manager, Coach Development Manager, and Social Worker hosted a special caregiver session welcoming 35 caregivers into the Waves for Change Surf Therapy experience.
Together, we explored how surf therapy supports children’s emotional wellbeing and why creating safe, caring, and supportive spaces matters so deeply for every child. The session created an opportunity for meaningful conversation, stronger family partnerships, and shared understanding around the value of the programme.
Caregivers also experienced first-hand what a day at Waves for Change looks and feels like, as coaches guided them through the Take 5 routine through play, movement, and connection activities. It was powerful to see parents engaging, connecting, and having fun together just as their children do during sessions. 🏄♀️✨
Highlights from the day:
💙 x35 caregivers in attendance
🌊 First-hand Take 5 experience
🤝 Strengthening partnerships between families and coaches
😊 Shared moments of play, joy, and connection
🧠 Growing understanding of emotional wellbeing support through surf therapy
Thank you to every caregiver who joined us and continues to support the children on their journey. Together, we create waves of change. 🌊 #WavesForChange #SurfTherapy #EmotionalWellbeing #CommunitySupport #Take5 #SafeSpaces #CaregiverConnection
We’re proud to be collaborating with @Solutions Insights Lab and the Youth Mental Wellbeing Co-Lab to explore what really supports young people’s mental health. 💚
The new platform, What’s Working: Youth Mental Wellbeing, brings together practical, actionable insights for practitioners, funders, and policymakers committed to making a difference.
This Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re reminded that everyone has a role to play whether it’s listening, advocating, creating safe spaces, or driving change behind the scenes.
Explore the platform: https://ow.ly/Ltl650YUhT0
💬 What’s working in your context? Share your strategies, ideas, or experiences in the comments below let’s learn from each other.
As we enter Mental Health Awareness Month, let’s continue to create space for honest conversations, shared stories, and deeper understanding around mental health. 🌊💚
At Waves for Change, we see every day how mental health support can transform young lives. Through our Surf Therapy Programme, we use the power of the ocean, trusted relationships, and safe spaces to help young people regulate emotions, build resilience, and feel seen, heard, and supported.
Our coaches, who work on the ground with the participants we serve, stepped in to share why mental health matters because they witness the impact first hand.
Mental health is not a luxury, it is essential. It deserves compassion, investment, and a society that chooses understanding over stigma.
This month, and every month, we continue to advocate for a world where mental wellbeing is prioritised and every young person has the support they need to thrive.
Why does mental health matter to you? Join the conversation too.
#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth #MentalHealthMatters #WavesForChange #SurfTherapy #YouthMentalHealth #EndTheStigma #MentalWellbeing
We’re incredibly grateful to the sponsors who have made BIBF 2026 possible!
- A special thank you to the Grodman Family Foundation, our main conference sponsor, as well as @unicef , @karolinskainstitutet , the @timberglingfoundation , and the Two Lilies Fund.
- Our pre-conference sessions are supported and sponsored by @grassrootsoccer , @wavesforchange , the Two Lilies Fund, @wellcometrust , Takeda, @johnshopkinsu , the @seriousfun_camps Children’s Network, and UNICEF.
- We are extremely grateful to UNICEF, Wellcome Trust, the @childmindinstitute , and Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus, Alan Stein, and Professor Judy Hutchings OBE through The James Hutchings Charity, for sponsoring our youth delegates and helping ensure their voices are part of this important global conversation.
- We also extend our thanks to @qubelfast , the Tim Bergling Foundation, and our very own Institute for Life Course Health Research for supporting our social events and creating spaces for connection and collaboration.
We’re looking forward to an inspiring few days ahead!
#BIBF2026 #Sponsorship #Partnerships #GlobalHealth
Youth mental health and wellbeing is shaped by what happens on the ground in communities, in programmes, and in the everyday work of organisations supporting young people. 💚
In collaboration with the Youth Mental Wellbeing Co-Lab, Solutions Insights Lab @solutionsjournalism has launched What’s Working: Youth Mental Wellbeing a new platform capturing actionable insights from practitioners, researchers, funders, and youth leaders. Over the next five years, it will track how the field evolves, how approaches adapt, and what truly makes a difference for young people’s wellbeing.
At Waves for Change, we’re proud to be part of this shared learning journey contributing real-world experience from community-based mental health support that prioritises connection, safety, and access for young people who need it most.🌊🩵
Because understanding what works (and what doesn’t) is how we strengthen impact across the sector.
#YouthMentalHealth #MentalWellbeing #WavesForChange #WhatsWorking #YouthDevelopment #CommunityImpact #MentalHealthMatters #SocialImpact #GlobalMentalHealth #YouthVoices #SystemsChange
🌊 Surf Therapy: Growth, Purpose & Leadership
As a Senior Coach at our East London site and a proud protégé of the Laureus YES! programme and someone who was once a participant in the programme, I’ve witnessed powerful transformation in the young people we work with.
Through surf therapy, I see them begin to shift how they see themselves growing in confidence, deepening their connection with themselves and others, and becoming more intentional and focused on their goals.
What makes this programme different is the consistency of a safe, positive environment. It’s the caring coaches who show up daily, and the real-life coping skills and tools participants take with them beyond the ocean.
For me personally, this work is deeply rooted in growth. I once stood where these young people stand dreaming of becoming a coach. Today, I get to live that dream.
The Laureus YES! programme (Youth Empowerment through Sport) is a global leadership development initiative that supports young people working in sport-for-development, equipping them with mentorship, training, and leadership skills to create impact in their communities.
This journey is bigger than sport it’s about becoming, giving back, and growing forward. 🌱
