The Surfing Association of Nova Scotia has been focused on increasing access to water sport and surf for years, with notable success in being a key partner for the Unama’ki and North Preston Surf Programs.
In 2023 the focus was to broaden our programming reach with support through funding from the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association’s Reaching Each and Every One initiative. Our 2023 Intercultural Equity Surf Program aimed to support communities across the province including Acadian Shores, South Shore, Halifax Regional Municipality and Unama’ki. SANS successfully facilitated ocean and surf competency programming for Mi’kmaw, Black and Newcomer youth throughout these four coastal regions of the province.
SANS partners included surf schools and community-focused organizations to provide surf lessons and instruction around safety and ocean competency during one and two-day events for several groups.
“One of the important pieces for us is that our volunteers align with the cause and are keen to work with the youth,” said Carolina Andrade, SANS’ Intercultural Equity Grant Coordinator (2023). “They’re there to help facilitate the program, to be in the water for hours at a time, to assist participants in catching their first of many waves and to instruct on how to build on these new skills.”
“The program provided a first-time surfing experience for participants. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive with the expressed interest in future programming by all groups. Many participants and parents/guardians expressed the desire to return to the beach for surfing independently or with lessons from our surf school partners as well. Leaders who gave dry land and in-water instruction encouraged participants to get comfortable in and out of the water with wetsuits, navigating surf boards and surfing competency as a skill to build on.”
“We had people tell us that it was the best day they’ve experienced in Canada since immigrating here,” said Andrade. “They have said they would love to come back and bring their families, even just for the experience of being at a beach itself. We were able to facilitate a multitude of experiences, not just surfing, but at a community level, and that was an added bonus.”
The organization was able to deliver the activities and programs with volunteers, Mi’kmaq Physical Activity Leadership, regional surf community members, SANS board and adjacent leaders who put the time and effort into logistics and production of the programs delivered.
“We saw the potential with this program, and everyone was excited about it and keen on seeing this move forward, participants especially,” said Andrade. “More volunteers were hearing about it and saying to us, ‘Let me know if you need me.’ We have the hands to make it possible, and the timing and the coordination are the big variables in ensuring we have a successful, organized program moving forward.”
Some participating community groups include ISANS, Veith House, Alnaas, Hope Blooms and the Tri-County Regional Centre for Education.
