In honour of International Youth Day 2026, we are spotlighting the young coaches at Waves for Change.
Waves for Change is a community-based organisation working in the Western and Eastern Cape, with a support hub office in Cape Town. Their focus is on providing mental wellness support to adolescents growing up in high-stress environments by combining the evidence-based Take 5 Model with surfing – called Surf Therapy. Co-designed with the adolescents that it serves, their award-winning Surf Therapy programme has reached in excess of 10,000 adolescents and trained 215 coaches since 2011.
SAFMH recently chatted with two of their coaches, who shared what inspires them, why they love being coaches, and the difference they get to make in their communities. You can watch the video below.
