Surfers Not Street Children is a street children advocacy organization with surfing at its core.
Surfers Not Street Children is the next chapter of the work of Tom Hewitt MBE, who has worked with
street children for 22 years. Tom was an awarded an MBE for his services to street children by HRH
Queen Elizabeth II. His work also inspired the founding of the Street Child World Cup as well as the
feature documentary Angles in Exile (Charlize Theron).
Surfers Not Street Children fuses Hewitt’s work with a team of former street children from Durban.
They are now top level surfers, trained lifeguards and surf instructors, and committed to inspiring
other street children around the world to see their potential and recognize opportunities to change
their lives. Their advocacy and campaigns work highlights the plight of street children and demonstrates
what can be achieved with goods strategies. The team is committed to smashing perceptions around street
children, demonstrating their potential and being a springboard towards a popular movement around street children globally.
Surfers Not Street Children is a mentoring and life-equipping programme for the youngsters involved but its further goals are:
- To change the way that society perceives and treats street children through campaigns and advocacy. The team uses its surfing
skills as a platform to campaign around issues that concern street children as well as promote good models and strategies.
- To promote surfing as a tool within strategies for working with street children. Surfing has incredible intrinsic therapeutic value
but is most importantly can be used as an engagement that opens the door for psychosocial services for street children. The team aims
to assist other street children agencies around the world who are keen of introducing surfing to their existing programmes.
- To inspire other street children around the world to recognize their potential. The Surfers Not Street Children ambassadors are inspiring,
charismatic, funny and cool. They are perfectly placed to help other street children around the world to see themselves as full human beings
and to recognize their own potential.
- To identify, promote and support key street children agencies around the world. The team is particularly interested in agencies whose model
fuses high-intensity engagement programmes with psychosocial services.
- To develop and mentor the Surfers Not Street Children team ambassadors: The team live at a team house called the Surfhouse. Surfers
Not Street Children is committed to their life development and overall wellness as well as developing them as ambassadors.
Surfers Not Street Children needs your support to achieve these goals:
Contact: Tom Hewitt: tom@tomhewitt.org