Valpo Surf Project

Pilot Program Promotional Video

wtodd — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 20:18:03 +0000

This is the 2010 Spring Pilot Program Video edited by Jon Steuber and Will Kidney. Although the pilot program concluded May 19 the VSP continues operation year round. During the Chilean winter (June, July and August) the students continue with their weekly swimming lessons, English classes, and academic tutoring. The surfing will resume in September when the air starts to warm up and the surf drops to levels more conducive to learning.

-WT

San Francisco Fundraiser June 9th

wtodd — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 23:10:41 +0000

Come join the Valpo Surf Project team for a guest-bartending event at Tonic in San Francisco on Wednesday, June 9 from 5-8 PM.

During guest bartending, all tips for the VSP bartenders--cash and credit--will go to benefit the Valpo Surf Project’s scheduled programming for the upcoming year.

Enjoy 2 for 1 drink specials from 5-7 with the VSP directors behind the bar, hear more about the success of the 2010 pilot program, and bid on some of the great items from local businesses and restaurants we have for silent auction.

Stick around for Tonic’s trivia night, every Wednesday from 8-9:30.

For directions to Tonic, check out http://tonic-bar.com/directions.htm

Los Angeles Fundraiser June 5th

wtodd — Sat, 29 May 2010 22:23:46 +0000

Come support the Valpo Surf Project on Saturday June 5th from 5 to 8 pm. We invite you for an evening of photos, videos and a presentation on the successes of their recent pilot program and their plans for the upcoming school year in Chile.

SAVE THE DATE

When: Saturday, June 5th, 5 - 8 pm
Where: The Gilberts
200 S. Windsor Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90004

Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.

The Valpo Surf Project is a non-profit organization whose goal is to use academic mentoring and surfing
instruction to encourage English language skills, personal character development, and environmental consciousness among underprivileged and at-risk youth in Valparaiso, Chile. After graduating from Bates College and relocating to Valparaiso, Chile (often called Valpo by locals) to live and surf, the founders of the Valpo Surf Project wanted to give back to the community they loved by making a positive social contribution to
its citizens. As their pilot program comes to a close, they are pleased to announce the launch of their 2010 fundraising campaign in Los Angeles.

Feel free to contact them at contact@valposurfproject.com. If you are unable to attend but would still like to donate, just click here: http://www.valposurfproject.com/donate-now/

See you at the Gilberts!

(From the 101 take the Vine exit, go South on Vine, turn left at Beverly and right on Windsor. From the 10 exit at La Brea, go North on La Brea, turn right on 3rd Street and left on Windsor. The house is on the corner of Windsor and 2nd Street.)

Cinnamon Rainbows Thank You

wtodd — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:36:18 +0000

The Valpo Surf Project would like to thank Phil Carey and everyone at Cinnamon Rainbows Surf Shop in Hampton, NH for the donation of wetsuits and leashes they made to the VSP’s pilot program. The neoprene donated by the shop has helped to keep the VSP kids warm and stoked throughout the four months of the pilot program and we’re all grateful for the contribution.

When Brian Nevins, New Hampshire-based professional surf photographer, had donated a print for silent auction and left it at the Cinnamon Rainbows shop for the directors to grab, we thought we were just stopping in to pick up the photo. However, when Wiley and I dropped into the shop, we explained the program and learned that Phil had traveled pretty extensively to surf in Central and Southern Chile. During his surf travels, he knew just how expensive and difficult it was to replace a set of fins or a leash in Chile and wanted to help with providing some equipment for the program.

A few weeks later, Wiley returned to see that Phil had pulled almost 20 used wetsuits and a bunch of leashes out of the shop’s storage and was more than willing to put the items toward a good cause. Thanks again to the whole Cinnamon Rainbows crew—we hope these contributions will keep kids shredding for years to come.

-JS

The VSP kids showing off the wetsuits contributed by Cinnamon Rainbows!

Past Two Weeks of Surf Classes

wtodd — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:24:13 +0000

The past two weeks we've been extremely lucky with the weather for our surf classes. The majority of the days down here are cold, foggy and rainy, and we've had the students prepared for the possibility of the cancellation of surf classes. However, we've woken up to sunshine and relatively warm weather on both of the "surf days". The kids are improving at a rapid pace. They are getting a feel for paddling out alone, getting seated comfortably on their boards, spinning for waves, popping up, etc. The biggest thing for us is seeing their comfort and confidence grow in the ocean. Some students who were rigid with fear our first few classes now charge out into the surf with enthusiasm. They pay attention to currents and recover quickly from wipeouts. The surf classes have been an incredibly powerful and positive experience for everyone. Unfortunately, next week will be our last class for the winter (June, July and August) as the weather is becoming too cold and the winter time waves are too big for beginners. The gang will continue on with English, environmental, and character development classes as well as swim lessons... We know they'll be stoked out of their heads to hit the surf when the weather starts to warm back up in September!

Here are some photos from the past two weeks of surf lessons. The water housing has had some trouble with water beading up on the lens, but we'll have that fixed ASAP. Enjoy.

-WT

Henry and Cintia taking off together.

Diego's first time at the beach.

Steubs and Wiley

Valeria going down.

About to take a wave to the face.

Jesus getting to his feet.

Super volunteer Jaime.

Everyone will be psyched to get back in the water come September.

Diego heading out for his first surf ever.

The little guy was up and riding after two tries.

Diego with a very proud Andres.

Brothers.

The group from two weeks back (May 2, 2010).

Henry cheering Jocelyn on.

Jesus on a nice one.

Jocelyn developing her own steeze.

Yeah buddy!

Cintia stoked on her second session.

The group from this past week (May 8, 2010).

Directors.

Random Photos/Short Update

wtodd — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:58:37 +0000

It’s been a busy few weeks for us here. English, swimming, and surfing have all been great, and even though the days are getting colder the energy within the VSP remains high. I wanted to take a moment to post some photos from our various activities for you all to enjoy. The progress, enthusiasm, and commitment of our students is truly amazing and we hope you will consider getting involved – be it here in Chile or back in the United States at one of our events throughout the summer. Stay tuned, as I will continue to post more on the progress of our pilot program as well as details on our upcoming activities back in the States. Saludos desde Casa VSP.

-WT

After class.

Answers, answers, answers.

Andres and some of the crew before swimming.

A nice calm day for a surf.

Intense training.

Ready to shred.

Excellent floating form.

First time on a shortboard.

Second swimming lesson - already swimming without flotation.

Cold but happy surfers.

Swimming is without a doubt a huge hit with the kids.

Heading out together.

What's up dude?

The sun never sets in the land of cool.

DuocUC/VSP Partnership

wtodd — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 18:04:55 +0000

The Valpo Surf Project is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Public Relations department of DuocUC, a division of Pontificada Universidad Católica de Chile, one of the nation’s foremost universities. Three of the VSP directors spoke at the welcoming ceremony for the incoming class of Public Relations students, to explain the organization’s mission and objectives, and encourage the students to consider the role of social responsibility and community outreach as a foundation of business practice.

Following the welcoming ceremony, members of the DuocUC Public Relations department organized a social gathering to meet the VSP participants and generously offered a donation of much-needed school supplies to the program. We would like to thank the volunteers for coming out to meet the kids and look forward to working with the DuocUC Public Relations department in the future.

-JS

Andres, Jon, and Henry presenting

VSP on the big screen.

Wiley and Diego looking on from the screen.

The guys with the two DuocUC event organizers, Rina and Carolina.

Post presentation after-party.

The DuocUC public relations students meeting the VSP crew.

VSP and DuocUC girls.

Barbara and her little sister.

The DuocUC students donated school and classroom supplies to the VSP students. Carolina presenting one of the many gifts to Patricia.

Andres showing off some of the supplies to the kids.

Second Surf Session

wtodd — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 16:46:30 +0000

This past Sunday we returned to the beach with 12 of our kids. Thankfully the waves were a hair smaller than last time and everyone was able to relax a bit more (the buoys were still reading around 12 ft. @ 16 secs). The sun was out and we spent the whole day outside. Kids rotated through cleaning the beach, playing soccer, and surfing. Almost everyone popped to their feet and it was great seeing the kids so stoked. The kids were lined up waiting in the shore pound to get back on a board. Jon, Henry, Andres, and I cannot be more pleased with the support from our volunteers (Anna, Billy, Jeanette, and Alvarro) and the overwhelming enthusiasm from our students. After a week of swim lessons and English classes I’m sure we’ll all be frothing to get back into the surf. Thanks to everyone who has helped make these sessions total success stories.

-WT

Andres leading dry land.

Valeria on her first wave.

VSP students cleaning the beach while waiting to surf.

Henry amping.

Valeria with Henry after her first surf.

Thamara!

Thamara and Wiley. She may have had the highest wave count of the day.

Roberto's own special style.

Stoked grom.

Vicky starting to get the hang of it during her second session.

Happy as can be.

Henry and Jeanette

Katalina and Wiley. She figured things out very quickly.

Most of the gang with a nice looking right in the distance.

Gustavo caught a ton of waves under the instruction of Jon.

The whole crew.

First Surf Session

wtodd — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 13:45:57 +0000

So this past Saturday we made our way out to one of our favorite breaks best suited for learning with six kids in tow. We picked up Vicky, Catalina, Jocelyn, Jesus, Gustavo and Claudio around 10 am, and we were at the beach by 11:30. After a beach clean, a quick session on a how to care for the gear, and some dry land surf instruction, we started getting ready to jump in the water.
All it took was one look at the water and we knew we had to make some adjustments to our game plan. The waves were pretty big, with well overhead sets rolling through every ten to fifteen minutes. It was apparent the currents were much stronger than usual. Instead of surfing with four kids and four instructors in the water we scaled back to two kids with four instructors surfing at once. The two to one ratio worked out incredibly well. For peace of mind, our certified lifeguard, Scott Hill of Colby College, sat out the back as an extra precautionary measure watching over the kids. Scott took sets on the head for over two hours to ensure the safety of our students. He was a huge help and we look forward to working with him in the classroom and on the beach in the weeks to come. Thank Scott!
Maybe I’m stating the obvious, but our kids had an absolute blast in the water. They were all a little timid at first (even if the older ones wouldn’t admit it), but by the time that first wave scooped them up and they were cruising back towards the beach, it was all smiles. Wiley and I were working with two of our younger students: Catalina, 12, and Vicky, 13. These girls were literally hanging off of us as we walked out in to the surf. Every time a wave came, Catalina would scream, jump on my back, and nearly strangle me. It was only after I was able to breathe again that I realized she was laughing the whole time. Once we were out in the surf, we put her on the front of a longboard, with Wiley on the back end for balance and control. Sitting in the foamy whitewash, I’d push them in to waves and they’d take off back towards the beach. Once again, the smiles were endless.
After getting out of the water, everyone took off their wetsuits, we packed up the gear and then we sat down for a quick lunch. By 4 PM, the kids were back up in Cerro Mariposa with their families. Man we had fun. Everyone is pretty jacked up for our next trip on Saturday. These groms are really on their way.

-HM

Some of the VSP quiver - all fresh for the kids first time.

Catalina and Vicky waxing up.

Henry showing Jesus how to put fins on a board.

Andres helping Gustavo get suited it up.

Andres and Wiley giving a dry-land lesson.

Claudio and Andres.

The guys learning the difficulties of getting out of a wetsuit.

Henry, Catalina, Vicky, and Jon pre-surf.

Going over the game plan.

Wiley getting the girls acclimated with the waves and currents.

Vicky - right at home in the waves.

Jesus - all smiles.

Some of the gang opted for getting rides back out rather than swimming towards the end of the day.
.

Half the group at the end of the day. Everyone was tired but happy.

Alexandria Alberto To Run Santiago Half Marathon For VSP

wtodd — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 04:10:52 +0000

The Valpo Surf Project’s official runner, Alexandria Alberto, is taking to the streets of Santiago to run a half marathon for the VSP. Her goal: to raise $5,000 to go towards the purchase of a much needed mini-bus to transport the VSP students to and from swimming classes, community service projects, and surf lessons.

Alexandria is a native of Concord, Massachusetts and a junior at Bates College She is currently studying abroad in Valparaíso, Chile. While cross training here in Chile she has decided to run the Santiago Half Marathon in the name of the Valpo Surf Project. She has dedicated her time as a volunteer for the last month in VSP English classes and weekend beach clean-ups and excursions. Help her support us by sponsoring her run with a donation!

Donating to Alex’s Santiago Marathon mission is easy: just click the “Donate Now!” button below to make an online donation or use the address provided below. Make sure to include that your donation is going towards Alex’s Santiago Run, by putting the words “Run Alex Run" in the special instructions section of the donation form or in the memo of the check. Alex and the VSP appreciate your support!

Donate To Support Alex and the VSP

Giving online is easy and secure. You can make a contribution to support Alex and The Valpo Surf Project using PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, or eCheck. All proceeds from this drive will go towards the purchase of a mini-bus to transport the VSP students to and from swimming classes, community service projects, and surf lessons.

Thank you for your contribution!

You can also send donations to our mailing address. Please make checks payable to the "Valpo Surf Project" and be sure to put "Run Alex Run" in the memo.

Valpo Surf Project
99 Pleasant Street
Cambridge, MA 02139

The Valpo Surf Project is a nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status pending.

Questions? Contact us here.

Alexandria running for Bates College and with two VSP students during a beach clean in Chile this April.