Yomego Blog Waves of Joy Followed My Dive into Volunteering

Untitled Document My old grandad (aka The Fossil, as he made it all the way to 101) always told me never to volunteer for anything. I think this must've been an ethos learned during his army days in WWII. It was something he firmly believed in, and possibly played a part in him making it through his seven year posting in India intact. As a dedicated (obsessed!) surfer, I spend most weekends on Scotland's east coast looking for waves. I even occasionally venture into England, around Bamburgh. And it was on one of these trips I met a fellow disciple who started to tell me about his involvement in a charity organisation called ' The Wave Project . This is an initiative that uses surfing to help kids with mental health problems, or from difficult backgrounds, to overcome their anxieties and improve their self-confidence. Now I'm obviously going to be biased about the benefits of surfing as they're what keep me motivated to get up at 5am on a cold and dark January morning to drive for 3 hours then pull on a wetsuit in -8 degrees and wade through the snow to paddle out into the freezing North Sea, so I instantly understood how this could work. And, guess what. They were looking for volunteers... It sounded great but my in-built siren went off. I asked my boss to see if he was ok with me taking a couple of hours off for six consecutive Thursdays and he agreed, given the charity. A few months later, however, I can confirm that taking that step forward has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. The Wave Project began in 2010 as an experiment funded by the NHS in Cornwall and has now expanded to eight areas in the UK. It has been heralded as a huge success and continues to grow. Kids are referred by teachers, social workers or health care workers for a place on a six-week course which provides one surf lesson a week. Once they'd completed the course, they can join the Surf Club and attend whenever they want. That first freezing afternoon in Dunbar, I waited rather nervously, not sure what to expect. Half an hour before the kids arrived, we arrived for a pep talk from the Scottish coordinator, Jamie, and before we knew it we were introduced to our wannabee suffers. Most of them hadn't worn a wetsuit before so it took quite a while to get them all ready and down onto the beach. There was a warm-up session followed by an on the beach lesson from the instructor which, to my surprise, the kids were fully focused. Then it was time to hit the water! I was partnered with a 10 year-old lad who I then looked after for all six lessons. At first he was wary of the sea but he quickly realised that a wetsuit keeps you warm and helps with buoyancy. He began to trust my advice and as the weeks progressed, he became more and more confident in the water and made steady progress. During the last lesson he even managed to catch a wave and rode it all the way to the beach. Much whooping and hollering followed from the two of us, echoed by the other mentors. He was beaming - the biggest smile I'd ever seen. After the lesson was over and we were walking back I asked him if he was going to join the Surf Club to continue to learn. "Will you be there?" he said. "If you are I'll join." That was a pretty moving moment for me; it meant that we'd really connected and that I was having a positive effect on him which was fantastic. It was more than I was expecting or hoping to achieve. I've continued to volunteer and will hopefully help a few more kids along the way. To me, this is a great example of what volunteering can achieve, with benefits for the kids who took part as well as me. I appreciated the chance to take a few hours off to make a difference and the positive stories I brought back into the office gave everyone a lift. If this little story has inspired you, check out The Wave Project website for more information. You don't need to be a surfer to get involved but, be warned, you may catch the surfing bug too! Looking back, I can fully understand The Fossil's reservations. But I can genuinely say that volunteering has enriched my own life as well as those of the kids who took part. Don't be afraid to take that all-important first step. By Skip Reid, Senior Web Author, @yomegosocial