Issue One- December 2018:

By Mercedes Barreto

Urban Surf 4 Kids is a unique outreach organization that provides surf therapy and mentoring programs to at-risk and foster youth. Using water sports as a catalyst, they teach kids how to first have fun and then give back to their communities and neighborhoods through local service projects.

What inspired the beginning of Urban Surf 4 Kids?

“Our founder, Wesley Stewart, was in San Diego when hurricane Ike made landfall in the Gulf  Of Mexico. Wes was so inspired to help that he and his friends hopped into their car and drove all the way there to support people who had been through some significant trauma.

When Wes returned to San Diego, he wondered about who the youth was who had been through trauma in his own local community. He found the statistics on foster youth, and decided to use surfing as a therapy tool to assist these youth and help them overcome PTSD, physical, and emotional trauma.”

How does surfing benefit people?

“Surfing Therapy is now being recognized as a therapeutic tool to treat PTSD, as well as physical and emotional trauma. Foster youth are twice as likely to suffer from PTSD than a war veteran, according to a recent study at Harvard Medical School.”

What would be the ultimate best outcome for Urban Surf 4 Kids, if the organization reaches its goals?

“Our ultimate goal would be to bring surf therapy and mentoring to every foster and at-risk youth in America. We believe so strongly in Surf Therapy as a tool to help with depression, PTSD, and trauma, that we would like to see it prescribed as a valid treatment for these conditions.”

How many kids have been helped through the efforts via Urban Surf 4 Kids?

“Urban Surf 4 Kids has helped impact the lives of more than 6,480 foster youth and given over 3,000 their first ocean experience.”

What message can you pass onto other kids and families who can benefit from this?

“The one message I would tell to kids and families is that showing up the first time is the hardest part of our program. It’s something new, and at first, everyone will seem like a stranger to you. But what occurs instantly is our family lets you in, and you grow an entire ‘Ohana’. 

The best way to get involved is to come to one of our Surf Therapy Camps. From there, if you’d want to get more involved, our ‘Hanai mentoring program’, where we work with you in small groups with trained volunteers, would be the next step.”