The shaka hand gesture, the “hang loose” surfers’ greeting, symbolizes peace and commonality between people, regardless of culture, ethnicity or background. Gregory Elementary School art teacher James McDonough said that concept inspired him to share his love of riding waves with children who otherwise would not have the means to go surfing.
McDonough said the idea of introducing these children to surfing is one he had for a while.
“Just from being a teacher in a community where a lot of these kids come from … homes that maybe have a little bit less … made me aware that they don’t really get the chance to go surfing and do surf camps,” he said.
His ideas came into focus earlier this year when he sketched a shaka-inspired logo. It earned such positive feedback from his peers, he realized he could use it to launch his initiative. He started selling hats and T-shirts emblazoned with the logo in hopes of funding surf camps throughout the summer.
He said he must raise $5,000 by June 21 to meet his goal of holding eight free camps this summer. He has enough surf instructors and equipment to host about eight children per camp.
His campers will come from the Community Boys and Girls Club of Wilmington, he said. The organization, which inspires and enables local youth, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, has agreed to provide transportation to and from the beach.
McDonough said a lot of his students are enrolled in the Community Boys and Girls Club, so he recently took a small group of them surfing to gauge their enthusiasm and raise awareness for his campaign. None of the kids had been surfing before. He said the experience affirmed his commitment to the mission.
“Before, it was kind of like, do I want to go through all this work and do all this stuff to find out they’re not really into it?” he said. “But the kids were loving it. … They were super excited.”
He said he hopes exposing the children to the carefree pastime of riding waves will have both short- and long-term impacts on their lives.
“I think it’s just an outlet for some of them to enjoy life in way they haven’t had a chance to, and I think surfing can teach you a lot,” he said. “If they develop the want to keep doing it then it can be a positive for their life in the long run, give them some motivation … and keep them busy in a better way.”
Surfing can be a gateway to establishing a more trusting relationship with the kids, he added, allowing him and his instructors to affect the children’s lives beyond the water. He said he’s already imagining ways to keep spreading the shaka year-round in an afterschool program for his summer campers.
“Teaching them to surf is really just the start of being able to break down a barrier and build a relationship with somebody,” he said. “Maybe we won’t be surfing every day, but whatever we can do to help them get their homework done, get ready for EOGs, take them to football games … just something that is having a positive impact on their life.”
For more information, visit www.stateofshaka.com
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