Stockland Aura grant helps SalTy Souls stop kids breaking away
Surfing and the Sunshine Coast go hand in hand, with our region famous for its strong surf culture and breaks. Local organisation, SalTy Souls is helping more vulnerable kids and teens on the Sunshine Coast discover the benefits of surfing to thrive not only in the water but in life as well, thanks to a Stockland Sunshine Coast Community Grant.
SalTy Souls work with youth and family service groups, schools and educators to run a six-week surf therapy program called “Stand Tall”. Apart from teaching young people to surf, the program also provides them with positive strategies to support their mental wellbeing and help them engage and re-connect with community. On completion of the course, the participants receive a surfing starter kit and a surfboard and are encouraged to continue their surfing journey and connection with SalTy Souls.
With the $15,000 Stockland Community Grant, SalTy Souls will be able to purchase more surf equipment including soft top ‘foamie’ surfboards for their program.
“Our mission is to make sure that children from vulnerable families and disadvantaged backgrounds get the same opportunities. We cover all the surfing costs for every child who completes our program including boards, leg ropes, fins, wax, rashies, nose guards and even sunscreen,” says SalTy Souls Legacy co-founder, Tamara Smith.
“Our surf program is going from strength to strength. It helps young people gain self-confidence and promotes a healthy way of life, both physically and mentally. We do our best to refurbish second-hand foamies but they are very hard to come by. This grant will enable us to buy more boards to enable our surfers to continue their surfing journey.”
The founders of SalTy Souls started the organisation in memory of their brother, Tyler, who died in a tragic accident while on holiday in Bali. Tyler was an avid local surfer who had dreamed of running a surf school.
For more information about SalTY Souls visit: https://saltysoulslegacy.org/