‘When I enter the ocean, I forget about all my problems’: Improving young people’s well-being and education through surf therapy

Abstract

This paper analyses the ‘Onda Social’ project implemented in the city of Matosinhos, located in the municipality of Porto, Portugal. ‘Onda Social’ (which translates into Social Wave) is a surf therapy project that aims to stimulate the academic, social, and emotional skills of young people at risk through the practice of surfing. The project covered 363 children and young people aged 7–14, organised in groups with an average of 15 young people per group over three years. Each group of participants attended weekly 2:30-hour sessions throughout a school semester-long intervention cycle. Psychologists and surf coaches led the sessions. A team of researchers monitored and followed up on the implementation of the project whilst gathering qualitative data on the intervention developed by the project team. The aim was to understand perceptions of the project’s impact on its participants’ mental health and well-being and their educational outcomes. The findings indicate that this surf therapy intervention was perceived as positive for participants’ social and personal development. Well-being promotion and the development of relevant competences also led to increased motivation and school engagement of children and young people at risk.