South Africa – Teach, Surf and Skate in Cape Town – Images

Cape Town is the oldest city in South Africa and is referred to as ‘The Mother City’ by locals. It has a cultural heritage spanning over 300 years and breathtaking scenery, from the iconic Table Mountain to the glorious Cape beaches. It is a modern city with cosmopolitan areas boasting nightclubs and trendy restaurants, as well as rustic and unique suburbs with quirky markets and cafés. With a comfortable Mediterranean climate, Cape Town is a great place to volunteer all year round.

Arrival and Orientation in Cape Town (Included):
Prior to your volunteering, you will take part in an orientation in Cape Town. Orientation is on Saturday and Sunday and includes a traditional South African barbecue dinner, called a Braai and a guided tour of the area.

This project aims to teach underprivileged children valuable life lessons and skills, such as leadership and teamwork, through sports and adventure activities, specifically surfing and swimming (no previous surf experience required!). The project hosts an adventure club for 12-14-year-old children who come from disadvantaged areas of Cape Town, where facilities and equipment for outdoor activities are not readily available for them. The incentive of learning to surf is appealing to the local children, most of whom do not yet know how to swim, which is a large issue in this ocean-side area. Children must take swimming lessons before they begin their surf lessons.

Some of your tasks may include:

• Teaching kids to swim
• Teaching kids to surf
• Teaching kids to skate or leading sports activities in the afternoons
• Helping on hikes
• Organizing fun days and sports programs
• Educating children about important topics, such as HIV/AIDS, drugs, etc.
• Assisting in schools
• Fundraising events
• Administrative work
• Some training days
• Maintenance work

A typical day: Your mornings will begin around 8:30 AM and are spent either learning to surf, helping in a school, or relaxing on the beach. In the afternoon, once the children are done with school, you’ll teach the kids how to surf, swim, or any other activity. Volunteers will work five days a week with the children. Some days volunteers will work a full eight hours and other days four to five hours, depending on the needs of the project. Volunteers will also learn how to surf with an instructor. Volunteers will receive a minimum of one surf lesson a week. Extra surf lessons can be booked for an additional fee.
Please note: Surfing is a weather dependent sport and this activity can be cancelled on short notice.

Holidays:
The holidays are a time for the kids to have fun, so the programs are less structured and may change depending on the amount of children that arrive on the day. Children 16-years old and younger are given the opportunity to experience extra activities outside of their townships. Every day is different and you will work from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM, helping with outdoor activities, such as beach days, surfing, swimming, hikes up the mountain, visits to the museum, and more. During Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, projects are very limited. However, volunteers may still use the accommodation and food.

Program Accomplishments: Since this program was created, over 300 children have learned to swim and 80 have learned how to surf! Some kids from the adventure club have even become sponsored by major surf brands and compete in national and international surfing contests!

Internet: Wi-Fi is available at the accommodations.

Laundry: Laundry service is available for a small fee.

Accommodations: You will stay in a volunteer dormitory, which has shared mixed-gender rooms of 2-10 people per room, a communal lounge, and a kitchen. Upgrades to private rooms are available in both the hostel and the volunteer house.

Food: Three meals per day are included from Monday to Friday and arrival weekends only. Breakfast comprises cereals, fruit, yogurt, toast, and spreads and is available on a self-serve basis. Lunch is a buffet of breads, fruit, cold meats and spreads for sandwiches. A hot meal will be served every night for dinner and includes a meat, a carbohydrate, and vegetables.

Please note this project’s minimum requirements:

• Police clearance
• Basic level of English
• Ability to swim
• Immunizations (consult local travel clinic)
• Motivation to work with children
• CV/Resume

Cape Point Tour (Included):
On your second Saturday of your volunteer program, you will take a group tour of Cape Point. En-route to Hout Bay you’ll stop for a tourist must-have – a picture of the “12 Apostles.” Your next stop will be Cape Point Nature Reserve – home to an abundance of flora and fauna as well as baboons and ostriches, to name a few animals found roaming the streets. There are two lighthouses and the most southwestern point of the African continent to be seen here, and you will spend some time in the reserve. Simons Town is your lunch stop and also home to the South African Navy and a colony of penguins. Boulders Beach was set up for the penguins to roam free and is your last stop for the day before returning to the accommodation.

Travel Extras (Not Included):
Make the most out of your time in Cape Town by signing up for any of these activities for your weekend or days off. You may sign up following registration. Please note there is an additional fee for these activities.

• Kitesurfing, windsurfing, sandboarding and/or paragliding lessons
• Tours of Cape Point, Cape Town, Robben Island, and/or the Townships
• Wine Route Tour
• Kloofing (cliff jumping), skydiving, and/or quad biking outings
• Walking tour of the ostrich ranch
• Abseil Table Mountain
• Shark cage diving
• Game drive through the Big 5 Safari