MAKING WAVES WITH TIM CONIBEAR

Tim Conibear, a W17 Newlands member* is literally changing lives one wave at a time.

Where it all started

British born Tim, landed on the Cape shores with the promise of a winemaking internship in his pocket, scrubbing floors was not how he imagined it to take shape, so he filled his free time with hours spent in the surf - a long time surfer, Tim hit up Muizenberg beach with his board in his “crappy old car” and a couple of tag-along kids from the townships (sons and daughters of vineyard labourers). It was during his off time on the waves, he realised what the power of the surf offered those within troubled communities.

Each weekend, the number of kids like Sean grew, appearing alongside Tim on his surf ‘trips.’ Soon, this “merry band of surfers outgrew his ‘crappy’ car and with the donation of an old van, which he converted into a ‘convertible’, he was able to fit more children inside. "They kept coming," says Conibear.

"More and more kids would turn up each weekend. There was nothing like this for them in the townships. Nothing." In surfing, they found a space to breathe.”

Realising the impact of what he was doing, in 2009, Tim setup the NPO Waves for Change. W4C is about providing tools for kids to reshape their own brains during adolescence when stressful environments and caring relationships can change the lifepath for that child.  With sponsorship money in his pocket, and the collective input of doctors, psychologists, other professionals and two locals, he put together an organisation which uses surfing and surf therapy to positively impact the lives of many youths from marginalised areas.

What is Surf Therapy

Surf Therapy combines the positive health benefits of surfing and physical activity with activities proven to help young people build protective relationships, identify emotions, self-soothe and build a positive image of their future.

What started as a staff of 2 has grown quickly to a team of over 80 with 5 centres in total; Muizenberg, Monwabisi, Hout Bay, Port Elizabeth and East London, working with over 2500 kids a week. The ethos of the programme is Banana Culture. It’s what they live by, and what they named it because of how the shaka, the iconic surf sign, looks like a banana.

The very first lesson they do is called immersion, bearing in mind over 91% of the participants have never seen the sea before.

They’ll link arms to form a chain, and wade into the water together. After about ten steps they check in with everyone to see if they’re okay, and if they are, go out a little bit farther. That’s communication. Talking to each other, asking one another how they’re doing. Then listen, be respectful, hold tight, protect your friend, and don’t break the chain. If everyone’s feeling good, go a little deeper. But if someone’s not feeling okay, respect their feelings, stop, turn around, keep the chain, and walk back to the shore. That’s bananas.

Another part of Banana Culture is TLC: Tell it. Label it. Celebrate it.

So, when a kid gets up and rides a wave, you tell them what they’ve just accomplished: “Oh my word, you just surfed!” Then we label it, “That was your first wave — amazing.” And then we celebrate: “Yeeeew!” Through everything we do we teach others to do the same among themselves. Teach the kids to teach their friends, their families, their community . . . and it becomes this ripple effect. Sisonke Simunye. We are one together.

The results of this can be seen at Monwabisi, the beachfront in Khayelitsha, that at first was unusable due to the amount of gang related crime that occurred, sometimes even leaving bodies on the beach.

Now 600 people a week use the water and the community has stepped up to keep the area safe and clean, sharing a sense of purpose. This also gives an insight into what these kids ‘normal’ is and the level of violence that they deal with on a daily basis.

Tim made it his life’s commitment to inspire change, provide emotional support, build trust and well being in troubled and at-risk young South African communities with the intervention of waves and the power of Surf Therapy.

*Tim is no longer a full time W17 member but pops in to use the space on adhoc basis when he finds the time.