Youth Encounter combines surfing and therapy programme

Youngsters from Maketu have been on an eight-week surf therapy programme run by Pongakawa-based Youth Encounter.

Known for assisting young people using two wheels, Pongakawa based Youth Encounter has a new no-wheel programme.

The organisation runs a Dirt Bike Therapy programme that combines learning to ride with instilling a sense of belonging and self-belief.

Now the programme is being used at the beach with a Surfing Therapy programme.

With five participants aged 13-15 from Maketū, through Maketū Health and Social Services, the first pilot programme has been running this term and wraps up next week.

Mary Wanhill, who with husband Joel founded Youth Encounter, says the surf programme is a natural progression.

''It's always been a dream of ours at Youth Encounter to include other activities in our range,'' she says. ''We are known for our core programme based on dirt biking, but we thought surfing was something we could use to run a similar journey of modules, which we call our Arotika ki te Kaupapa [to have a forward focus].''

By next week there will have been eight sessions of learning to surf mixed with cognitive behaviour therapy.

''[The programme] explores their mindset and how to put in tools into their lives to start to believe in their potential,'' says Mary. ''The activity gives them that sense of belonging in a space where they connect together and start to realise they have potential and they are valued and we grow them out of that through the activity and that crosses over into life.

''The surfing and that physical activity, alongside the emotional and mental side of it, is just so powerful.''

Youth Encounter first brought surfing into some of its mentoring programmes 12 months ago when a local family and Trinity Lands put up the money to pay for boards, wetsuits and rash shirts.

Mary says the challenge of changing surf conditions has added to the effectiveness of the programme.

''They learn to navigate those waves and the challenges of the changes, that's been really powerful in the group,'' she says. ''It's given them a real resilience to keep pushing through.''

Mary says all five have shown up every week.

''They've shown a real strong commitment to it and are loving the process.''

All groups have a tailored experience on the therapy programmes.

''One of the focuses with our therapy is really meeting our young people where they're at, connecting with them and understanding how they tick. So out doing that, we bring in values and use values to explore what's important to them. We also link that into what depth we take the cognitive behaviour therapy.

''Having the values there to refer back to and draw on has been quite powerful in
changing their thinking processes about themselves and about their life .''

The pilot has been a resounding success.

''We want to develop it and learn but definitely we'll be doing a lot more of it for sure.''

Mary says she would like to expand the reach.

''We want to offer it out to the other organisations we work alongside in the Bay of Plenty. We want to be able to grow it and we are currently increasing our mentors and training new therapists and that's so we can deliver more programmes.''