Overview
Launched in May 2017, this campaign works with orphanages in Sierra Leone to improve the lives of vulnerable orphans by bringing surfing and skateboard lessons as well as addressing their educational needs. The campaign engaged donors and supporters through authentic storytelling. As a result, the Forever a Surfer (FAS) Project team improved access to educational resources, introduced alternative livelihoods, and established a sustainable community partnership network.
Research & Design
Program Design · Experience design · Documentary photography · Social justice advocacy · Social impact campaigns · Partnership development · Photography & videography
- Duration: January-March 2017
- Team: Fas Lebbie, Nick Jones
My Role
I led community-driven research and program design, mapping local ecosystems and collaborating with stakeholders to craft campaign initiatives that reached over 4,000 children across Sierra Leone.
I integrated educational resources with surf and skateboard programs, producing visual narratives through documentary photography and videography to inspire donor engagement and community support.
I directed logistics, coordinated operations with local schools and orphanages, and established sustainable partnerships.
Campaign Background
The FAS Project Campaigns provide support to children in post-conflict Sierra Leone by providing educational resources and offering surfing and skateboarding as alternative livelihoods. In a country where nearly 70% of boys and 80% of girls are illiterate, we saw an opportunity to create brand awareness through authentic storytelling that would engage supporters and donors while making a tangible difference in children’s lives. In Sierra Leone, 40% of youth lack the resources they need to promote healthy cognitive growth, 30% resort to begging for survival, and nearly half of the children must work to support their families, often in dangerous conditions. Providing basic educational resources and positive recreational outlets could help children develop resilience and coping skills. The emerging surf community at Bureh Beach offered a unique canvas for our brand narrative: one that combined educational empowerment with the joy of learning to ride waves.
My Approach
We utilized community-led research, educational support, and surf/skate programs to empower orphaned youth in Sierra Leone, combining alternative livelihoods with visual storytelling to build donor trust, transform lives, and establish sustainable partnerships across vulnerable communities.
At Bureh Beach, we discovered a nascent surf culture that offered the perfect vehicle for both physical and emotional development. Through our research, we identified six key insights that became the foundation of our campaign messaging:
- Teaching sports presents unique challenges when children face immediate needs like a lack of food and shelter.
- Local investment is essential to create a sustainable impact.
- Hunger remains a constant challenge affecting all interventions.
- Children desperately need safe spaces for self-expression and protection.
- Surfing offers a healthy lifestyle alternative to dangerous or destructive behaviors.
- Skateboarding provides both joy and creative outlets for vulnerable youth.
Empowering Youth
Freetown’s orphans gain confidence with educational supplies, surf lessons, and skateboarding programs, fostering resilience.
Design Interventions
Through strategic community-driven programming, we identified three schools and five orphanages serving the most vulnerable youth, engaging them in educational support programs and skateboard and surf training sessions. We highlighted these activities as healthy lifestyle tools to help them confront hardships and social challenges. We documented children’s journeys from initial hesitation to confidence and joy as they learned to surf and skateboard, demonstrating tangible impacts with compelling visual narratives that engaged donors. This authentic content became the centerpiece of our outreach campaign.
From classrooms to waves and skateparks, we empower Freetown’s orphans with education, confidence, and hope through community-driven surf and skateboarding programs.
Youth Trained in Surfing & Skateboarding
Vulnerable children engaged in combined educational and sporting activities (surfing and skateboarding).
Community Partners Established
Five orphanages and three schools engaged in sustainable programming, creating lasting institutional relationships.
Donor Engagement Success
donor return rate driven by authentic visual storytelling across digital and print media channels.
Short‑ & Long‑Term Impact
In the short term, the campaign provided educational supplies to over 4,000 children, contributing to literacy improvements in communities where up to 80% lack basic reading skills. Surf and skate sessions created safe spaces and boosted emotional well-being, aligning with findings from surf therapy pilots showing significant gains in youth mental health. We taught more than 300 children to surf and established ongoing programs at the Bureh Beach Surf Club, fostering alternative lifestyle activities. In the long term, the model supports sustainable partnerships, vocational opportunities, peer mentorship, and regional expansion, strengthened by authentic storytelling that continues to engage donors and Sierra Leone’s growing education innovation initiatives.
Next Steps
- We plan to expand surf and skate programs by launching training initiatives in additional coastal and urban communities across Sierra Leone to broaden youth engagement.
- We will integrate education and skills training by developing a formal curriculum that combines literacy, vocational skills, and surf/skate instruction to empower long-term economic resilience.
- We aim to strengthen partnerships and sponsorships by collaborating with international surf brands, NGOs, and local institutions for equipment donations, funding, and program scalability.
- We will create impact storytelling platforms by producing documentary films and digital campaigns to share transformation stories, attracting sustained donor and community support.
