Making waves: How an Aim High awardee is empowering youth through surfing

City Surf Project is shaping futures one wave at a time. In a conversation with Executive Director Johnny Irwin, we dive deeper into how the program is supporting academic achievement, mental and physical well-being, and equity in ocean sports through surfing. City Surf Project was one of the 40 grantees of the 2023 Aim High awards program. Aim High grants are awarded to afterschool, summer, or expanded learning programs that help economically disadvantaged middle school students successfully transition to high school.

Can you tell us a little bit about City Surf Project and its impact on San Francisco youth?

City Surf Project has introduced more than 2,500 Bay Area youth to surfing. Through sustained access to the ocean, surfing, and a supportive environment, our youth demonstrate increased resiliency skills, leadership skills, appreciation for nature, and a sense of belonging. The connections that the students form with each other, with themselves, and with the natural world are critical to their development. The program helps them develop into young adults with a strong, positive sense of self. The early teenage years are such a time of transition, so finding ways to build up self-esteem and confidence in yourself is so crucial as they enter high school.

When we pick up students at school, a vast majority are glued to their phones. But when we arrive at the beach, you can't bring your phone into the ocean. We are 100% screen-free as soon as we get to the beach. When that happens, you really see this amazing socialization and release of energy. The kids let loose, connect with each other, and explore.

The end goal is to have them surf, but it’s also about experiencing the ocean and creating their own relationship with it. We found that students come back from programming in a much more balanced state; this outlet is crucial. When talking to parents and teachers, they notice a difference in their behavior. Not only are they calm after exercising, but we see a stronger sense of self and more readiness to learn.

What have you been able to do or achieve with Aim High funding?

With the generous support from the Aim High grant, we expanded our middle school surfing program to include one new San Francisco public school. The middle schoolers we worked with, especially through this grant, showed really strong attendance in school, almost more than other groups that we’ve worked with. This shows the need for this kind of programming at this level. The expansion of this middle school program will hopefully create a domino effect for other schools in San Francisco to want to take on our programming.

How do you approach working with middle school youth?

Our middle school programs focus on belonging and building a sense of self—lessons that are essential as they transition into high school. Students learn to trust themselves and the peers and adults around them; they find community in programs like ours. Participants also learn from an early age the importance of physical activity. We ask students to identify what they feel after a surf session, and we often hear “natural high.” At a time when students are comparing themselves to others and figuring out who they are, the ocean is an equal playing field for them to better connect with peers and find themselves, which is very helpful for their transition to high school and for their development. The ocean doesn't care who you are, where you come from, or who you are in the classroom.

What do you mean when you say that youth need equitable access to nature, or the ocean?

We think it’s important for all youth, regardless of background, to have access to the ocean because it can be a powerful force for self-discovery, stress release, community building, and connecting to the larger world and society. You might think, “How is there no access to the ocean?” But in reality, there are many systemic barriers that dictate who has historically been able to live close to the beach and access it." Although every San Franciscan is no more than seven miles from the beach, many of our young people face barriers—such as transportation, economic access, and social factors and stereotypes—to visiting the beach and enjoying ocean sports. They have little experience getting outside of their neighborhood and into nature in general. At City Surf Project, we break those barriers to access by providing all equipment and transportation to those youth.

We also want our students to feel like they belong at the beach. The media has instilled stereotypes about who belongs at the beach, who can be in the ocean, and who can be a surfer. We are working to break those stereotypes to help youth feel like they belong in the ocean and in surfing. We allow students to explore the ocean in their own way and pace and interact with it the way they want to. We meet students where they are.

What is surf therapy and how have you seen it be beneficial for students, particularly for middle school students transitioning to high school?

Surf therapy is an emerging field of therapy that uses surfing as a vehicle for healing and stress release. Surfing is a great outlet for young people, whereas traditional forms of therapy can be hard for students to engage with and may even discourage them from seeking help. Through guided surf instruction and reflection on how each student internalizes the activity, connections to therapy are made.

City Surf Project programming is inspired by surf therapy, using many of the same techniques and theories that therapists use to help students during what can be a very stressful time in their lives—figuring out who they are, growing into young adults, and gaining independence. Many of the students we work with face an incredible number of additional challenges, including learning differences, poverty, and personal, generational, or cultural traumas. We found that surfing was particularly beneficial to students dealing with those difficult situations.

What has been a proud moment in your program? Or can you share a success story regarding the impact of surfing on a young person’s academic or personal development?

Working with students as young as middle school, we have the potential for long-term engagement with these kids and the potential to provide these valuable opportunities over a longer period of time. With this funding, we’ve been able to create an earlier touchpoint with our youth that extends beyond high school. Our alumni coaching pipeline allows students to progress from middle school all the way to adulthood, ending with them becoming mentors. We are a consistent program that follows and supports them all the way from middle school through high school. It's fulfilling for us to see a young person start in middle school and go all the way to graduating high school. We currently have 10-15 youth who started the program in middle school and went on to become alumni surf coaches. Those are the success stories—a young person who has received social, emotional, and academic support from surfing and has been inspired to become a surf instructor. Even if they pursue another trade, surfing remains a solid foundation and community in their life. One student, Dianne, started surfing with us when she was 12 years old and is now a lead surf coach, 10 years later. Dianne participates in surf contests and is also studying to become a nurse.

What are some benefits that program participants gain through City Surf Project that they might not get in a traditional classroom setting?

Getting in the ocean and surfing is completely different from the classroom. For many students, surfing is completely different than anything they've ever experienced. It can be really intimidating; there is a lot of fear and uneasiness when they are taken out of their comfort zone. By tapping into that feeling of stepping out of their comfort zone, students are able to see themselves differently and imagine something different for themselves and their futures. That is our goal for the program. We want students to take those advancements that they get from surfing, like an increase in confidence, and form analogies with other parts of life.

What are some of the values or beliefs that you want students to take away from your programming? How do you want students to feel after they leave the program for the day?

We want students to know they can do hard things, and there are people in this world who they can trust to support them and help them be successful. After a day in the water, we want students to feel a sense of accomplishment, belonging with their peers, and belonging in the ocean and at the beach. In the water, students often feel excited, happy, and energized, and we want them to take those feelings with them, back to their homes and their classrooms.

What advice would you give to other afterschool programs looking to incorporate unique physical activities like surfing into their curriculum?

Find aligned organizational partners and physical and outdoor recreation spaces in your community.

The 2025 application period for the Aim High grants is currently open through March 7, 2025. Learn more about the New York Life Foundation's Aim High grants and apply online.