An introduction to Surfing Development (Unedited Version – First Draft) By Rehgert van Zyl Foreword Everything has a beginning. For most earthly matter or goods – an origin can be traced back to some form of beginning or origin. Everything comes from a source, except of course for the Divine Creator God Yahweh Elohim we read of in our Bibles. All of our actions are birthed from a thought that is understood through a worldview. This worldview gives us a framework by which we understand our own purpose and reason for life. For some, it is the need to provide food for their family while for others it may be the need to self-actualize. You see, the importance of a worldview cannot be emphasized enough. It is how we understand and interact with those around us as well as our surroundings. It makes a difference whether you see the world as temporary or eternal? Is your viewpoint on life purely a hedonistic approach1 or is there the need to pay it forward2 for the next generation? Do you view yourself and your culture superior to others? Do you view your ‘world’ and culture as the ultimate reality and truth? These questions all influence your actions and decisions often without you even realizing it. If everything has a beginning – even our ideas, we have to question our intentions and our actions. Why would we want to make the world a better place? Why do you want to do make a difference in the lives of other people that you have no responsibility towards? This idea must have come from somewhere. Before we can commence ask yourself: what will you be getting out of this? 1 engaged in the pursuit of pleasure; sensually self-indulgent 2 respond to a person's kindness to oneself by being kind to someone else 2 But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant – Luke 22:26 If you are embarking on this journey of Community Development through surfing for selfish reasons, you might consider stepping away now before even starting. We are here to lead by example by serving others. The way we do outreach is to labor in faith so we might win some for His Kingdom. We are not here to build our own Kingdoms, but the Kingdom of Yahweh (God). How we do it does not matter, but the order needs to be correct. We need to glorify Him through our actions and see every individual for the potential that the Creator has placed within them. Many NGO’s, Charities and Aid organizations see the poor as victims, projects or simply benefactors representing statistics. There are so many great organizations that are doing amazing work and my aim is not to dismiss their efforts, but reality is that most of these efforts are only focused on treating symptoms of poverty rather than dealing with the root of it. The goal is for you to see each child and person as a living-breathing miracle that contains the Divine Neshamah (Breath of God) inside of them. Each human being has been made in the ‘image and likeness of God’ (Genesis 1:27). Our job is to love, speak life and invest in the wonder that is that person. It might start with a first push into a wave, but before we get there, we may need to change the way we view others and our understanding of the part that we play in the restoration of all things (Col 1:22) Before we can reconcile3 people back to their Creator (salvation) we have to give them an understanding about why we need ‘saving’, where we went wrong as human beings and how the world ended up like this. It comes down to self awareness and taking responsibility for each of our actions – not merely blame shifting. We have to establish some fundamentals before we start with our major visions and missions. 3 2 Corinthians 5:16 - 21 3 Background on Aleph Surf: This resource serves as a collection of experiences Aleph Surf has accumulated through the years working in community development. I have a degree in BA Humanities with my major being Anthropology. I was busy doing my post grad on route to my Masters in Anthropology when the call back to George, my hometown happened. I wrapped things up in July 2006 at Stellenbosch University only to start with my new position at Barts African Foundation in August of 2006. My job was a sort of ‘bridge builder’ between streetkids and the organization whose goal was to rehabilitate streetchildren. After one year at the foundation I went to management and said we should change our approach to prevention rather that rehabilitation. Focus on neighborhoods that has higher than average social economic challenges and aim our efforts towards ‘youth at risk’. I also proposed tying in recreational activities – especially surfing into our work. This proposal was turned down, but I believed in the validity of the approach. Surfing was to be used as a tool in social change and upliftment. The name ‘Aleph Surf’ came from the Hebrew Letter ‘Aleph’ which is the first letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. It symbolizes the beginning, it is one of the primordial building blocks of creation and thus one of the foundations on which all else is built. In Revelation 22:13 Jesus refers to Himself as the Aleph and Tav, the First and the Last. Aleph is the starting point. Aleph surf exists to help lay a foundation in the lives of youth and to give them opportunities that can enable them to be more successful in their day to day life. In 2007 Aleph Surf started with 3 surfboards, a tiny VW Chico and a handful of stoked kids. Since then we have accumulated a lot more equipment and have grown to facilitate a lot more kids, but our approach is still quality over quantity. 4 We do not claim to have all the answers. We have learned from experience and want to share this experience with you This resource book has been divided into 3 parts: People – understanding who we encounter Process – the ‘in rows’ to operations and mentoring Outcomes – what we hope to achieve through our efforts Hopefully the concepts and material that you will encounter in here will resonate with you and help you feel more confident and empowered. Soli Deo Gloria Rehgert van Zyl 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS PEOPLE A biblical understanding of poverty and social challenges 8 Poverty 10 Three types of poverty 10 Excerpts of Voices of the Poor 11 How did it get this way? 13 Redemption and Restoration 17 Asset Based Community Development 20 Aid vs. Relief vs. Development 27 Surfing Aid & Development 27 Understanding People 29 Culture 29 Characteristics of Culture 30 Paternalism 32 Poverty Mentality, Victim Mentality and Empowerment 35 PROCESS Why was Aleph Program created 38 Surfing as a resource 39 Surf Development 40 Putting things in Perspective 43 Our Values 44 Benefits of the program for youth 44 The Process 44 Target Groups 47 Selection of Students 48 How program can run 49 Helpful classroom practices 50 Guidelines for a mentor / facilitator 51 Surf Coaching 52 Info on operations 54 Boundaries 55 Working with kids in difficult situations 56 Ways to discipline 57 OUTCOMES Efficiency 62 Sustainability (and ways to help achieve it) 63 Rewards and Incentives 66 Power of Words and positive reinforcement 69 Get parents involved 71 Delegation, responsibility and ownership 72 Set Goals 74 Collaborating with others 76 Finances 77 Closing 78 6 PEOPLE 7 A Biblical Understanding of Poverty and Social Challenges We recently did a beach clean up at our local beach where we present our surf lessons in Jeffreys Bay. This is the beach where most people living in our lower income housing neighborhoods and informal settlements will come to enjoy a day on the beach. After every weekend you can go on a Monday morning and like clockwork, you will find broken bottles, trash and vandalized property. We sent in our Aleph volunteers to go clean up and one of them asked me: ‘why don’t you teach the people to clean up after themselves’? This is easier said than done. I explained that this activity of ‘cleaning up your surroundings’ is not high on the list of priorities for people coming from lower income settlements. The action of consuming alcohol and destroying a glass bottle on the beach affects 3 different groups in one moment: yourself, others and creation. Without taking in consideration that alcohol abuse in our poor communities is a problem in itself, the broken bottle endangers the safety of others and the trash and plastic harms nature. Not even with incentives or behavior modification can this type of conduct be changed on a societal level. The problem lies much deeper than only the lack of educating people. That is why so many community forums and workshops educating people to ‘clean their environment’ ends up in failure. When someone asks you what are the causes of poverty, they will normally start ticking off items such as inequality, poor housing, unemployment, lack of income, crime and insufficient health.... But the truth is that material poverty is one only one of many different forms of poverty. Take a page and focus on unpacking the concept of poverty until we reach the root of poverty. • First – have the fruit of the tree represent the symptoms of poverty on an individual (personal) level.