Ready for 2022!
2021 was an exciting year for Surfpop and we cannot wait for what the new year will bring! Last year we welcomed our first international volunteers back, after a year wherein we had to run our program without their helping hands. We also welcomed new partners, tribe members and ambassadors into our family and with our impact assessment, once again, proved the relevance of the Surfpop program. With these positive developments, we started the preparations to grow the Surfpop program in 2022 🙂
International volunteers
In April 2021, we reopened our international volunteer program as South Africa allowed foreigners to enter the country. We were excited to have these much needed helping hands back to support our local team and give the Surfpop children the individual attention that we as Surfpop strive to give each child. The Surfpop children were also incredibly happy with the extra help and care in the classroom and the surf and beyond excited to share their love for the ocean and the surf with the volunteers.
Growing family and impact
In 2021, we also welcomed new partners, tribe members and ambassadors into our Surfpop family. Our new partners support our journey and help us implement our program, our tribe members support us by donating monthly and our Surfpop ambassadors Jennica Lowell and Joshe Faulkner share our vision and mission far and wide.
We also conducted an assessment to measure the continued impact of the Surfpop program between 2020 and 2021. We are proud of the outcomes that we achieved. The Surfpop children significantly improved their well-being and resilience, performed well in school compared to the national average and cared for their physical health and natural environment. And last but not least, Surfpop created real future opportunities for its first three graduates in the form of jobs and bursaries!
Ready for growth
With this positive impact and our new partners, tribe members, ambassadors and international volunteers on board, we are ready for 2022: a new year full of opportunities and waves and a new year to grow our Surfpop family! The last months of 2021 we worked hard to kickstart the preparations for this growth and we cannot wait to invite new children into our program in the year ahead. Stay tuned for more news about our growth. Coming soon…