After a successful pilot, The Wave Project has won Young Start funding to help young Scots build confidence through surfing
The Wave Project in Scotland has been awarded a grant of £47,100 to run free surfing lessons for young people in East Lothian to improve their mental health.
Funding has come from the Young Start programme administered by the Big Lottery Fund in Scotland following a successful pilot project last year, in which 20 young people took part.
The grant will pay for a full-time project coordinator, new kit and equipment, volunteers’ expenses and participants’ travel costs.
Surfing is the perfect sport to achieve these goals because it provides a total sense of escape as well as a personal challenge - Jamie Marshall
In total 100 young people will benefit from free surfing courses at Dunbar’s Belhaven Beach, delivered by the Wave Project in partnership with Coast to Coast surf school.
Sessions will be run by qualified surf instructors, and each participant will also have their own ‘surf mentor’ – a trained volunteer – who gives them 1:1 support throughout the lesson.
Wave Project Scotland manager Jamie Marshall said: “The Wave Project model of providing one-to one support for clients, while encouraging them to overcome a challenge and push their boundaries, has been proved to help young people improve their confidence and outlook.
“By learning new skills and receiving positive reinforcement of their achievements from peers, participants are able to come out of their shell and engage more with the wider world.
“Surfing is the perfect sport to achieve these goals because it provides a total sense of escape as well as a personal challenge.”
Participants will be referred to the project by professional services, including local schools, NHS mental health services, counsellors and social services.
They will take part in an initial six-week course, after which they have the option to join an ongoing surf club based at Belhaven Beach.
The Wave Project started in Cornwall in 2010 and has since worked with over 500 young people, many of whom went on to become volunteers on the project.
The project came to Scotland in 2014 when it was piloted in Dunbar.
So far over 60 volunteers have signed up to volunteer on the project in Scotland.
Wave Project founder and chief executive Joe Taylor said: “It’s fantastic to see how successful the project has been in Scotland, both in terms of funding and the feedback we have had from volunteers, clients and parents."
Professionals working with young people in the East Lothian area are invited to make referrals to the next set of courses, which will take place after Easter. Courses are free of charge. Referrals must be made by a professional such as a teacher, doctor or counsellor.
Volunteers are also being sought to take part in the new project. Anyone interested in volunteering is asked to contact Jamie Marshall by email, or sign up online at www.waveproject.co.uk/volunteer.
