10 Questions with Hope House
1.) Full Name, Location & Project.
Hope House Carpentry Workshop, Salt Surfers, Black River, Mauritius.
2.) Describe your project and what it does?
Salt Surfers is a weekly connection with young people on the beach. We do strength and fitness training and grab every opportunity to enjoy a surf session together. Our vision is to mentor young people through exercise and surfing during our Salt Surfer sessions.
3.) What has been the reason for you to start up your project for the community in which you’re serving?
At Salt Surfers, building friendship with the young people enables us to point them towards reaching their potential.
Through Salt Surfers, we have met guys who had left school and were not able to find work. The Carpentry Training Workshop has been started to create an environment for these young people to develop a skill that would give them a livelihood. It has developed into a well functioning and mostly self sustainable entity, creating bespoke furniture for the people of Mauritius.
4.) How have you seen using the tool of surfing impacting your community?
Surfing has connected us with the community in a natural way. It's a great tool to build friendship.
5.) What challenges do you face on a daily basis?
Our challenges are not found without solution, but do exist in a similar way as any country's disadvantaged communities. We focus on establishing a better understanding of being team minded, good work ethic at the workshop and responsibility towards the surfing and exercise equipment.
6.) What has been one of the highlights or accomplishments of your project?
It is a privilege to see young people emerge to becoming our coach team at Salt Surfers. In the carpentry workshop we love seeing each individual's skill develop and seeing their dignity and confidence grow as they see what they can create.
7.) What are your goals for the future of your project?
The present is a big task that requires attention and courage. We aim at walking the long distance with each individual, seeing them into their adult life with confidence and security. Our hope is that each individual we have walked with , would impact their family and community, slowly and steadily creating a ripple effect towards solution.
8.) Share your favorite picture taken of your project and describe why this is your favorite?
The photo is of our son, Lungi Holl, and a young teen who has recently joined Salt Surfers. I love seeing his eyes focused on what Lungi is sharing. It's all about this. Loving and mentoring until the older young people, take the young ones under their wings and show them that they are noticed.
9.) How has your project benefited from the Groundswell Aid community?
We appreciate the ongoing relationship with Groundswell Aid. It has given us a platform for sales of some of our surf products as well as receiving much-appreciated donations of leashes, wax, and other surf equipment.
10.) Share with us a word of wisdom that will help your community or the world become a better place?
There is a french quote that says, "Petit a petit, l'oiseau fait son nid"
It means " Little by little, the bird builds it's nest"
We cannot storm into a community and hope to impact it in a lasting and real way. Every person on
this earth desires to be noticed and validated. Doing this first , may take time, but little by little we see the impact happening in a true and significant way.
