Adventure Voluntourism with WAVES for Development: Surfing and Serving
Location
WAVES for Development is a not-for-profit association that uses surfing to make the world a better place through Educational Surf programs for youth and Adventure Voluntourism programs for travelers. We help coastal communities connect surfing and sustainable development through what we stand for and what we believe in W-ater, A-dventure, V-oluntourism, E-ducation, S-ustainability. Our community-based education programs promote: Life Skills for Youth, Environmental Conservation, Sustainable Tourism, Social Entrepreneurship.
Your idea
This will be the address used to plot your entry on the map.
Street Address
calle s/n
City
Lobitos
State/Province
Postal/Zip Code
Country
Peru
Year innovation began
2007
Geotourism Challenge Addressed by Entrant
Quality of benefit to the people of the desitination
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Indicate sector in which you principally work
Community Organization
Geographic location
Rural, Coast, Desert.
Plot your innovation within the Mosaic of Solutions
Main insight addressed
Develop community assets
Name Your Project
Adventure Voluntourism with WAVES for Development: Surfing and Serving
Describe Your Idea
WAVES for Development is a not-for-profit association that uses surfing to make the world a better place through Educational Surf programs for youth and Adventure Voluntourism programs for travelers. We help coastal communities connect surfing and sustainable development through what we stand for and what we believe in W-ater, A-dventure, V-oluntourism, E-ducation, S-ustainability. Our community-based education programs promote: Life Skills for Youth, Environmental Conservation, Sustainable Tourism, Social Entrepreneurship.
Innovation
What is the goal of your innovation?
Use surfing to make the world a better place; travelers teach educational surf programs for local youth.
How does your approach support or embody geotourism?
WAVES for Development (WfD) uses surfing to make the world a better place. In coastal communities where education, environmental, health, and economic challenges are daunting, WfD sees opportunity. Our community-based education programs use surfing to promote broad educational goals including: life skills for local youth, environmental conservation, sustainable tourism and social entrepreneurship. WfD gives underprivileged youth access to the equipment and instruction needed to learn to surf in their own back yard. While learning to surf, participants build self-confidence, improve health through physical activity imand interact with nature. WfD's Educational Surf Programs use experiential learning to teach youth English, about their local environment and the basics of starting a business; promoting the local surf heritage. WfD's Adventure Voluntourism Programs attract tourists interested in surfing and serving communities as volunteers while on vacation. Living and working directly with community members, travelers serve as volunteer instructors and mentors in WfD Educational Surf Programs.
Describe your approach in detail. How is it innovative?
WfD works with schools in coastal communities to implement Educational Surf Programs for local youth and Adventure Voluntourism programs for visiting volunteers (Voluntourists). WfD Educational Surf programs include adventure and education components. Through surf classes, youth improve their general well-being as they connect with nature in healthy environment. Out of the water, youth participate in experiential learning activities such as English classes that incorporate art designed to teach life skills such as inter-cultural communication, and creativity. Participants learn the importance of environmental conservation and community involvement through service learning activities such as beach clean-ups and planting trees. In a business plan competition for graduates, youth gain business skills while creating and managing social businesses related to surfing and tourism. WfD Adventure Voluntourism Programs attract tourists to serve as volunteers who contribute their knowledge and skills to the community visited. WfD coordinates, trains, and evaluates volunteer instructors and mentors in the Educational Surf Program. Volunteers live, work, and surf with community members, sharing their culture and love for adventure. WfD is innovative because it helps communities integrate successful education goals in surf-related programs that address physical education, adventure tourism development, and the environment.
What types of partnerships or professional development would be most beneficial in spreading your innovation?
Continued adventure travel, surf, conservation and the not-for-profit partnerships would be beneficial. More volunteers could come from the adventure travel industry. Philanthropic surfers can spread the word about the work we do. Conservation foundations can help with curriculum. Youth related not-for-profits can share knowledge and best practices. Professional development in terms of a solid plan for scaling, fundraising, marketing would also be beneficial for growing the innovation on a global scale..
Impact
In one sentence describe what kind of impact, change, or reform your approach is intended to achieve.
Surfing positively shapes at-risk youth and volunteers’ futures through educational and service activities that sustain tourism, foster environmental conservation, and create social enterprise.
Describe the degree of success of your approach to date. Clearly define how you measure quantitative and qualitative impact in terms of how your approach contributes to the sustainability or enhancement of local culture, environment, heritage, or aesthetics? How does your approach minimize negative impacts? 200 words or less
The two-week pilot project held February 17 - March 1 was a great success. Thirty-eight (38) youth participated in 12 English classes, 8 environmental education classes (during which over 20 bags of trash were collected from the beach and a garden area was designated and planted within the school compound) and 20 swim and surf classes. Thirteen (13) volunteers from six countries (including certified teachers, lifeguards and British Surfing Association licensed surf instructors) taught the classes. Qualitatively, we measure impact by the number of smiles we see, the willingness to learn and participate demonstrated by children that show up early for class. We aim to see an increase in the graduation rate from the high school and more jobs available to those who graduate. The number of local governments that ask for WAVES programs in their town is an indicator of success. Our approach minimizes negative impacts by doing a proper diagnosis and interviews before delivering programs in a community and listening to what they say while we are there. Community members will have the opportunity for continued participation as future employees of the Educational Surf Program. We intend to transfer complete control and management to WAVES trained participants and start programs in other communities and countries.
How does your program promote traveler enthusiasm, satisfaction, and engagement with the locale?
Our programs primarily use surfing to promote enthusiasm, satisfaction and engagement with the locale. As English instructors, travelers interact directly with community youth. As advocates for the environment, local natural resource conservation including the beach and ocean is encouraged throughout programming. Adventure Voluntourism is a form of tourism that respects & engages the local population and its natural resources through service.
Describe how your innovation helps travelers and local residents better understand the value of the area’s cultural and natural heritage, and educates them on local environmental issues. How do you motivate them to act responsibly in their future travel decisions?
Enjoying the beach and ocean while surfing is common to volunteer travelers and local residents alike. In fact, conserving the local resources through environmental awareness is a big part of what the programs facilitate. Additionally, by partnering with the local fisherman's union to lead fishing tours with the volunteers we support and facilitate the local fishermen's diversification into tourism.
In what ways are local residents actively involved in your innovation, including participation and community input? How has the community responded to or benefited from your approach?
Before starting programs we ask what the community wants and listen to family members', local school directors' and district government officials' responses. During the program we continually question and assess the participants satisfaction and invite parents to come to classes for their input as well. The environment curriculum includes visioning exercises as a focus for future action. Identifying youth and local leaders is an important part of the programs so that when the Adventure Voluntourists leave there is still continuity, instruction and use of the surfboards. The community has responded favorably to our initial offering and the school director has invited us back.
This Entry is about (Issues)
Sustainability
Is your initiative financially and organizationally sustainable? If not, what is required to make it so? What is the potential demand for your innovation?
In order for our initiative to be financially and organizationally sustainable we need to access more capacity building funding to get programs off the ground and demonstrate success. A concentrated skills building and fundraising campaign is needed to launch our programs on a bigger scale. The potential demand for our innovation is huge. From our website we have recieved inquires from people in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia and the Galapagos Islands interested in implementing the WfD idea there. Basically, where ever there are coastal communities with educational needs, waves, youth and a desire for our programs, WAVES for Development is applicable.
How is your initiative currently financed? If available, provide information on your finances and organization that could help others. Please list: Annual budget, annual revenue generated, size of part-time, full-time and volunteer staff.
We are currently financed by a mixed income approach; some earned income in volunteer fees and other income from donations. In 2008 our budget is estimated to be at around $40,000 for the three programs, including in-kind donations. In 2009 we aim to grow the program to 5 new communities. At the moment all staff are volunteers and our expansion is based on our dedication, sweat equity and the success of our fundraising efforts.
What is your plan to expand your approach? Please indicate where/how you would like to grow or enhance your innovation, or have others do so.
We have legally established WAVES for Development Switzerland as a not-for-profit association to raise money in Europe. Additionally, we are in the process establishing a not-for-profit corporation in the US with 501c3 status in order to raise more tax-deductible donations and apply for foundation grants. Once we prove successful with numerous programs along the coast in Peru we will consider scaling our innovation to other countries.
What are the main barriers you encounter in managing, implementing, or replicating your innovation? What barriers keep your program from having greater impact?
At the moment, the greatest barriers in our growth include our legal status in the US, and seed funding to pay staff. Without 501c3 status we cannot apply for grants and capacity building funding. Additionally, the fact that the people working together to make the dream come true are located all over the world add logistical complications.
The Story
Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers' marketing material.
David Aabo has over four years experience living and working in Peru developing service tourism initiatives in rural coastal communities, tropical mountains and the Amazon jungle. As a Peace Corps volunteer David researched, wrote and presented feasibility plans on ‘coffee tourism’ and ‘adventure conservation’ voluntourism initiatives and analyzed and revised the Peace Corps’ environmental project framework and reporting format. In 2007 he was a co-founder of an adventure-based, not-for-profit association in Peru called WAVES for Development. David earned his M.S. Organizational Management from the School for International Training, 2006 and a B.S. in Business Administration from Colorado State University, 2000.
What is the origin of your innovation? Tell your story.
The idea for a surf-related charity originated on the beaches of northern Peru in late 2004, when a group of international surfers shared a desire to help local youth with little resources enjoy surfing. Over the course of the next 3 years, WAVES formed a network over 30 dedicated individuals, organizations, and institutions in 10 countries. In 2006, Global Surf Industries committed to donating a shipping container of surfboards to be used in WAVES programming in Peru. These surfboards arrived in Peru in mid-2007. Today, WAVES for Development is a formal not-for-profit association in Peru, where it's first projects are being implemented. WAVES for Development has signed agreements with the Peruvian Sports Institute and the Peruvian Surfing Federation to bring Educational Surf Programming and Adventure Voluntourism to communities throughout Peru. Additionally, WAVES for Development is currently in the process of being established as a legal entity in the United States and Europe
Please write an overview of your project. This text will appear when people scroll over the icon for your entry on the Google map located on the competition homepage.
WAVES for Development is a not-for-profit association that uses surfing to make the world a better place through Educational Surf programs for youth and Adventure Voluntourism programs for travelers. We help coastal communities connect surfing and sustainable development through what we stand for and what we believe in W-ater, A-dventure, V-oluntourism, E-ducation, S-ustainability. Our community-based education programs promote: Life Skills for Youth, Environmental Conservation, Sustainable Tourism, Social Entrepreneurship.
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| Wfd_Volunteers-and-children.jpg | 470.24 KB |
 | WAVES4dev said: Thanks for the words of encouragement, Daniela. We're well on our way; just last week (a fitting coincidence; Earthweek) our ... about this Competition Entry. - 1381 days ago read more > |
| danielapapi said: Congratulations David. It sounds like you all are doing some great work. As far as the 501(c)3 stuff goes, don't be intimidated! ... about this Competition Entry. - 1388 days ago read more > |
