Surfing for the Environment Youth Program

Our Surfing for the Environment youth program was a great success this summer! This annual program is Surfrider Foundation NYC Chapter’s method for getting young New Yorkers involved in beach, surfing and water conservation. Through our 4 surf sessions in partnership with Locals Surf School, the NYC Chapter had the pleasure of working with 64 youth and their families this summer! Each session was followed by a beach cleanup to reinforce the practice of protecting what we love and instilling environmental stewardship in the next generation. We hope to get even more young people involved in 2022.

Making sure Rockaway Youth are part of our programs and get involved in water safety and beach protection is very important. Many young people who live in Rockaway have never had the opportunity to learn how to safely enjoy the ocean, despite living right next to it. Providing more equitable access to the ocean and surfing is important to Surfrider’s mission and our commitment to creating a more inclusive and welcoming ocean recreation community. Engaging youth also leads to parents being involved in the program and contributing to our different campaigns. Water safety is one of our Surfrider’s main priorities. Help Surfrider NYC Chapter and our partners make water safety education an integral part of public school education. Call your elected officials to ask them to support these bills in Albany, S2207 and A728. These bills  aim to make water safety mandatory in New York schools. 

We also want to mention that this summer’s program would not have been possible without the generous support of Jason Camhi and his family, who arranged a fundraising campaign for Surfrider NYC in his memory.  Jason was Surfrider NYC’s Executive at Large and he had an incredible impact on our chapter and community during that time. Sadly, Jason passed away early in 2021 leaving a huge hole in our team, but we’re glad to have shared some cool summer vibes with the Rockaway community in his honor. 

If you’re not yet a member, you can sign up and become a Surfrider NYC member today or join us in our upcoming beach clean-ups and advocacy efforts by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and our Meet-Up pages. Everyone is welcome, and we have some fun youth-friendly events planned year round!