We were interviewed on Cape Talk, around how we are making the ocean accessible for everyone, take a quick listen to the 5-minute interview Roxy had with Refilwe Moloto on the breakfast show.
The interview that Roxy gave on Cape Talks breakfast show touched on how we are making the ocean accessible to all South Africans, those that can afford it and those that can’t, the able-bodied, those that have a physical or intellectual disability, and those suffering or being challenged with mental health problems, cancer, terminal illness, PTSD, Depression, eating disorders, anxiety disorders.
What we do, at the Roxy Davis Foundation, is to help change the lives not only of those in need or with disabilities, but people who volunteer, the family members, the coaches, and the community as a whole – and even surfing in general, by giving everyone access to the water. This has a ripple effect that affects more than just those who come to the beach for the adaptive surfing clinic.
The clinics are not only for first-time surfers but returning surfers as well. At the moment, the clinics are about 50% first-timers and 50% return surfers, which is amazing, meaning that the impact we are having is making people want to return to the ocean and learn more about the sport. It means that they are having fun doing an activity that they thought that they would never be able to do – and ultimately, by returning, we are focused on not making this a once in a lifetime opportunity, but a recurring opportunity.
All you need to do to get involved is to put up your hand and say that you want to be there and help another South African.
We are also growing year on year, from 12 sessions last year, to building on that this year, and so far in 2019 we have had over 120 adaptive surfers attend our clinics. These surfers are coming from all over the Western Cape, from Khayelitsha, Constantia, it is a blended and all-inclusive experience.
We currently work on a volunteer basis, and these volunteers don’t need to know how to surf. All you need to do to get involved is to put up your hand and say that you want to be there and that you want to help another South African.
There are many ways that people can get involved, to name a few:
- Land volunteer (chat, help get surfers water ready, and engage on the beach)
- Adaptive surfing coach
- Corporate team building
We have a wide range of ages who volunteer or participate, we have surfers who are 4-years old and surfers who are 77-years old. Volunteers also have no age limit, a lot of the surfers have siblings, and we encourage families to come along and engage with surfers and other volunteers on the beach.
We also have corporate team building, which enables a business to get involved in an immersive experience and charity, while at the same time doing a team-building activity. Teams will learn how to surf before getting involved in the clinic, and then get taught how to be an adaptive surfing coach before helping out with the adaptive surfers. Being an NGO, one of our requirements is funding, so corporates can also support the foundation financially.
