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Isiqalo | first step surf

April 13, 2011 | Words By: Staff Writer

Check out this movie from Cape Town, South Africa about an NPO that uses the power of surfing to educate young adults about HIV/Aids.


The NPO in question is called Isiqalo, a Cape Town based NPO established in 2010 which also leads youth education and sports programs in some of Africa’s largest townships.

The movie focuses on the Isiqalo ‘Waves for Change Curriculum’: an educational curriculum rooted in surfing that aims to educate and empower young people to make informed and responsible decisions when addressing the contraction and proliferation of the HIV virus in their home communities.

‘Isiqalo is an organisation based around education, health awareness and skills training for South Africa’s up and coming generations’ explains Isiqalo C.E.O Tim Conibear.

According to the latest Statistics released by the South African Institute of Race Relations, a third of 15-24 year-olds in South Africa are not in education, employment, or training. Youth unemployment in South Africa is currently at 51%, and HIV prevalence is estimated at 17.8%: the challenges facing youth in South Africa are great.

A lifelong surfer himself, Tim is a firm believer in the transformational qualities of surfing and hopes that the energy and positivity that surrounds the sport can act as a catalyst, encouraging young adults from developing communities to embrace life and overturn cultural taboos that keep many young adults from testing for HIV.

‘In all our programs we aim to encourage creativity and a freedom of expression, as well as promoting a sense of greater responsibility and proaction.’ Tim affirms.

‘By helping participants realise their hidden potential, by introducing them to something as foreign as surfing and showing them they can not only survive but excel, we can in turn encourage them to see how much fun life can be if you take a little time to consider the choices in front of you’.

Find out more about the Isiqalo Foundation.

   

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