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Volunteer in Peru: Check out our current volunteer opportunities in Peru. Make a difference in the lives of youth while surfing great waves in Lobitos. You will assist in our ongoing Educational Surf programming. Learn more...

Make WAVES: Help WAVES, an affiliation of not-for-profit organizations, reach more people. Your contribution or donation can make a big difference. Find out how...

WAVES for Development International Approved by IRS as a 501c3 Tax Exempt Charity in the US




May 27th, 2009    WAVES for Development International received its determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service indicating that WAVES is exempt from federal taxes as a public charity. This also means that all donations made after April 21, 2008 are tax deductable. Special thanks to O'Melveny and Myers and WAVES' pro bono legal team for all their hard work in achieving this recognition.

Jejustock WAVES Fundraiser Scheduled in South Korea




June 17th 2009    Come support WAVES and enjoy summer in South Korea!

WAVES for Development Switzerland is proud to welcome its new Ambassadors




Montreux, May 27th 2009    Talented athletes supporting WAVES for Development!

WAVES Switzerland receives Donation from Lions Club of Montreux


(from left to right) Martial Rapin, Tresurer Lions Club Montreux, Sylvain Gaeng, President WAVES for Development Association Switzerland, Jean-Marc Boulgaris, President Lions Club Montreux, Chloé Crausaz, Communication Manager of WAVES for Development Association Switzerland, Alain Baehler, President of social charities Lions Club Montreux
Montreux, May 27th 2009    On Wednesday, May 27th 2009, WAVES for Development Association Switzerland received a check for 5,000 Swiss Francs from the Lions Club of Montreux. This grant will be used to purchase 1600 square meters of land for an educational center for youth in Lobitos.

Vote for WAVES in Sun Microsystem's Spotlight Your Startup Contest




May 27, 2009    WAVES is participating in Sun Microsystems' Spotlight Your Startup Contest. View the video of WAVES Executive Director Dave Aabo at NYC Entrepreneurship Week and vote for WAVES by texting "Startup WAVES" to 41411. The winning startup wins a camcorder, which WAVES will put in the hands of Peruvian youth.

WAVES for Development Switzerland at Global Village




May 11, 2009    WAVES for Development Switzerland participated in the Global Village event organized by the international student association AIESEC at Lausanne University. WAVES offered students the chance to taste the famous Peruvian national dish Ceviche and informed them about WAVES voluntourism program in Peru. WAVES continues to gain public awareness in Switzerland.

WAVES at Surfrider NYC Film Night Fundraiser May 14th




May 5, 2009    Come meet the NY-based WAVES team at the Surfrider NYC Chaper's Film Night Fundraiser where WAVES for Development International will have a table. This event marks increasing collaboration between the organizations. Win a surfboard by purchasing a $5 raffle ticket to support Surfrider in "the protection and enjoyment of the world's oceans, waves and beaches". An option is given to donate the board to WAVES.

Screening: Teton Gravity's hot surf/environmental film 'Out There'
Thursday, May 14th at Fontana's Bar: 105 Eldridge Street

WAVES Party 1 Fundraiser May 8th at Pub Voluntarios in Lima




May 1, 2009    WAVES for Development Peru is organizing a fundraising event Friday May 8th at Pub Voluntarios in Lima, Peru (130 Independencia Miraflores). All proceeds from the event will be used to support WAVES' Educational Surf programs for at-risk youth in communities of Northern Peru.

The event kicks off at 9:00PM with Surf Videos and music followed by live music from Lima-based Reggae bands Los Pipas and Mallyki Reggae. Dancing will continue into the early morning hours with electronic music from a live DJ. WAVES T-shirts and postcards will be available for sale. Tickets are S/.15 and include a raffle for surf prizes.

Lobitos Youth and WAVES participate in Surf Competition in Mancora




April 25, 2009    Youth participants from WAVES Educational Surf program in Lobitos participated in a youth surf competition in Mancora. The event was organized by the Mancora Surf Club.

WAVES surf instructor Holggers Clavijo traveled with 5 youth participants to compete. The youth competed against youth from the communities of Mancora, Los Organos, and Zorritos. WAVES contributed prizes to the contest and Holggers served as a judge for the competition. Participation in the event was made possible by the fundraising efforts of WAVES for Development Switzerland.

WAVES For Development Holds First US Based Event For Youth In NYC




April 13, 2009    WAVES is partnering with the Swim Strong Foundation, St. Francis College Water Polo team and the NYU Surf Club to offer an introduction to Water Polo and Surf clinic on April 19th. The clinic is available for participants between the ages of 12 through 17.

“Surfing provides accomplished swimmers a healthy outlet and connection to nature; the skills developed while surfing can be applied to other areas of their lives” states Dave Aabo, founder and executive director of WAVES for Development International. This effort is put forth by WAVES to continue their commitment of using surfing as a vehicle for education for underprivileged youth in South America. WAVES for Development helps communities connect surfing and sustainable community development through Educational Surf programs for local youth and Adventure Voluntourism for travelers.

With Educational Surf programming in Peru, this marks the first US based event available for any participants ages 12-17 who are strong swimmers. The event takes place on Sunday April 19th at St. Sebastian Parish Center from 7:45am to 11:00 am. The cost to get involved is $25 and participants can sign up by emailing Shawn Slevin, Chair of The Swim Strong Foundation, at shawn.slevin@theswimstrongfoundation.org. “Swim Strong's mission is to save and change children's lives through competitive swimming. Our Spring Clinic in collaboration with WAVES for Development educates and inspires children to explore new and different water sports leading to life changing experiences for them. The fun they have working with the athletes and the possibilities of college scholarships don't hurt either!” - adds Slevin.

For more information about WAVES for Development, or this particular event, please contact Dave Aabo at 518.339-2142 or dave@WAVESfodevelopment.org.

WAVES holds "End of Summer" Surf Competition for Youth in Lobitos



March 25, 2009    Saturday March 21st WAVES for Development held a surf competition for participants in its Educational Surf program. The competition celebrated the end of a successful summer season in which youth participated in Surf, Swimming, English and Environmental Education classes 5 days a week.

The competition was held at the Punta Lobitos. Local officials, media, parents and community members were invited to attend. Judges included volunteers from 3 countries, including Peru. In all, 20 participants competed in youth and open categories.

Prizes were awarded to all participants for their participation, including a certificate for participation, a WAVES T-shirt, school supplies, and a copy of the latest edition of Tablista, thanks to a donation by that Peruvian Surf Magazine. Special prizes were awarded to the top three places, as well as for the longest wave of the day. A drawing for a used surfboard donated by a Lima surfer was held at the end of the completion. Youth completed a short written exam testing the subjects they learned over the summer to become entered in the drawing.

IPD Transfers Surfboards to WAVES for New Project in Mancora



February 16, 2009    WAVES and IPD (The Peruvian Sports Institute) held a press conference Monday at the National Stadium in Lima to announce the transfer of 15 Walden Longboards to WAVES for use in its new project in Mancora, Peru. The boards are part of a 400 surfboard donation from Global Surf Industries to be used by WAVES to promote sustainable development and education in coastal communities along the Peruvian Coast. As part of an agreement signed between IPD and WAVES, IPD provides storage for the surfboards until they are put into use in social projects.

The new project in Mancora will contribute to the professional development of surf instructors working there while generating funds to support WAVES' educational and development projects in coastal communities. WAVES has teamed up with Soledad Surf Co. in Mancora to offer WAVES Surf Lessons. All proceeds from the 45 sole ($15) lessons go to providing the surf instructor with a fair wage for their services (30 soles) and making a contribution to support WAVES (15 soles). WAVES will offer surfboards to be used in the classes and ongoing training opportunities for the surf instructors. Soledad will provide WAVES rashguards to be used by the instructors and students, as well as storage for the WAVES surfboards.

IPD transferred an additional 3 surfboards to be used by WAVES staff, volunteers, and promoters in educational and promotional events in Lima and other Peruvian communities.

Watch the story that aired on the TV program Centro Deportivo on Peruvian Cable Magico Deportes.

Rob Machado Visits Lobitos and Learns about WAVES



February 15, 2009    Professional surfer Rob Machado visited Lobitos recently to surf some incredible waves and check out the community. WAVES Surf Instructor Holggers Clavijo and local youth participants had a chance to meet Rob and explain WAVES and its programming in Lobitos. While presenting Rob with some WAVES stickers, they asked Rob how he liked Peru. He said that Peru has great waves and that he was happy to learn about the important work WAVES is doing there. Before leaving, Rob kindly donated his leash, a new tail-pad, and 2 of his own t-shirts to WAVES and the Lobitos youth.

The Quiksilver Foundation Makes First Donation to WAVES for Development



February 14, 2009    The Quiksilver Foundation donated 49 wetsuits to WAVES for use in its Educational Surf Programs in Peru. Based in Huntington Beach, CA, the foundation coordinates the support of individuals and organizations for charitable activities both locally and globally. The Quiksilver Foundation is interested in supporting environmental, educational, health and youth development projects around the world like WAVES for Development. WAVES looks forward continuing to cultivate its relationship with The Quiksilver Foundation as it continues its work in coastal communities.

WAVES Receives $2,000 Grant from Dutch Foundation Soul Surfers



February 13, 2009    The Dutch foundation Soul Surfers awarded WAVES for Development Peru with a $2,000 grant to support its Educational Surf programs in Peru. Soul Surfers raised the money through fundraising activities at events throughout Europe. The grant will be used over the course of one year to purchase educational equipment and supplies, local communication and transportation, and cover general programming expenses.

WAVES Staff Trains with Olas Peru and Wayo Whilar in Lima



February 5, 2009    Thanks to Olas Peru, one of the most respected surf schools in Lima, both WAVES Director of Operations, Kevin Fitzpatrick, and WAVES Surf Instructor, Holggers Clavijo, received surf instructor training during the first weeks of January. The training focused on the methodology of surf instruction and practice of teaching surfing techniques. Holggers received his second certification from Olas Peru, where he was also offered training last year. Many of the skills the pair learned while working side by side with the team of Olas Peru are already being implemented in WAVES summer youth programming in Lobitos.



While in Lima, Holggers also took advantage of the offer from Wayo Whilar to receive training on repairing surfboards. Holggers spent several days working in Wayo Whilar's Barranco workshop in Lima, where he learned repair techniques from experts with decades of experience. Once again, Holggers dedication to making the most of his training is paying off: Holggers and WAVES have set up a board repair service in Lobitos where local youth are able to learn to repair boards while raising funds for WAVES projects.

WAVES Appears Again in Local Magazine



February 4, 2009    WAVES is featured with a 4-page spread in the latest edition of the Peruvian surf publication Local Magazine. Check out the article on the digital copy of the magazine. Don't miss the page with a photo of the WAVES team Dave, Holggers, and Kevin with supporter Wayo Whilar. Local is a pocket-sized magazine distributed for free in Peru that also covers other adventure and extreme sports, music, and tourism. The story features photos taken during one of WAVES surf classes for local youth in Lobitos. The photos were taken in Lobitos the same day as the Woman's WCT surf contest. Special thanks to Clyde Villalobos and Local for their continued support for WAVES.

WAVES on The Daily Stoke Surf Blog



February 2, 2009    WAVES for Development was featured on The Daily Stoke. The Daily Stoke is a blog with daily surf-related posts that range from serious news to hilarious videos, from beautiful girls to the ugliest wipeouts. They call it "surfing news for surfers." The Daily Stoked interviewed WAVES Executive Director Dave Aabo and reported that WAVES is "doing heaps for locals in Peru who might never have the chance to surf, even on waves right there for the taking."

WAVES part of SAVE Travel Alliance



February 1, 2009    WAVES is now part of the SAVE Travel Alliance, a network that connects responsible travelers to sustainable destinations. SAVE, which stands for Scientific - Academic - Volunteer - Educational, provides information on how to make the most of travel. WAVES is proud to be an Alliance Partner and have its Adventure Voluntourism program listed as a surfing volunteer program on the Travel Opportunities section of the SAVES website.

Friends of the NYU Surf Club Bar Party to Benefit WAVES - Friday Jan 30th



January 30, 2009    The Friends of the NYU Surf Club, in conjunction with the Friends of the Ski & Snowboard Club, have organized a bar party fundraiser. The event takes place Friday the 30th of January at Bar None in NYC from 9:00-12:00. There will be an open bar for $20. As a fundraiser, $5 of the $20 will go in part to benefit the Fundación Chill and WAVES for Development.

WAVES for Development Switzerland participates in the Montreux Jib Event



January 25, 2009    WAVES for Development Switzerland participated in the Montreux Jib event on January 24th and 25th. With its stand, it was a great opportunity to introduce WAVES and its educational program to the freestyle skiers and snowboarders taking part to the competition. It also was an opportunity to fundraise for the program in Lobitos. WAVES Switzerland collected more than $300 in donations during the 2 days. WAVES continues to gain public awareness in Switzerland.

WAVES Founder Dave Aabo on The Voluntourist Webcast



January 6, 2008    Dave Aabo, Exectutive Director and Founder of WAVES for Development, was interviewed on the lastest episode of the webcast The Voluntourist. The webcast is hosted by VolunTourism.org founder and author of “The Voluntourist” David Clemmons. Each week representatives from the voluntourism sector and tourism industry are invited to discuss topics related to voluntourism.



The topic of this week's program was Surfing and Voluntourism. Dave shared WAVES' experience combining voluntourism programs with surfing in Peru. Jess Ponting, a sustainable tourism professor at San Diego State University, also participated in the program. He shared information and experiences from his research on the topic of sustainable surf tourism in Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji. Listen or download the program for free here.

Voluntourism

www.voluntourism.org - Extensive information on voluntourism for tour operators, non-profits, travelers, and volunteers. Publishes VolunTourist newsletter.

www.adventureservicetourism.com - Provides information on adventure voluntourism in Peru.

Adventure Travel

Adventure Travel Trade Association - Promotes the adventure travel market and supports and represents its members. ATTA works to "Encourage sustainable and environmentally and culturally sensitive adventure travel practices."

Off the Radar - An online newsletter for both travelers and operators. Off the Radar highlights "sustainable, environmentally sensitive travel; and who believe in incorporating the local people and traditions of the places where they operate."

Ooh.com - A travel blog about interesting and adventurous things to do around the world.

Surf News and Resources

The Daily Stoke - The Daily Stoke offers surfing commentary and surf news: "when you're not surfing, surf here."

Local Surfing Network - Surfing news and resources including surfing videos, surf conditions, and surf cams.

New York Surf - "Surfing information for the New York area."

Surfing and Sustainablility

Wave Tribe - A blog dedicated to surfing and sustainability, specifically “high quality ecological surf products that support a sustainable lifestyle.”

Surfers Without Boarders - "Surfers Without Borders is a humanitarian aid organization dedicated to creating Projects that Teach Environmental Awareness, Reduce Ocean Pollution, Promote Sustainable Development, and Foster Good Relations between Surfers and Coastal Communities around the world."

Surfing and Volunteering

Best Day Foundation - Best Day Foundation works with volunteers to give kids with special needs in California and New Jersey the opportunity to experience the thrill of surfing.

Surfing in Latin America

Chica Brava - All-girls Surf Camp in Nicaragua.

Surfing in Peru

Olas Peru - Information about Peruvian surfers, surfing in Peru, and Olas Peru. Olas Peru is the number one surf school in Peru and one of the oldest surf schools in Latin America.

Peru Azul - Peru surf guide and web cams.

Bodyboard North Peru - Blog from Northern Peru about bodyboarding in Peru.

Bodyboard Nation - Bodyboard Peru site, complete with news, photos and videos.

Local Magazine - Peruvian surf magazine, also includes adventure and extreme sports, music and tourism.

Swimming and Safety

Diversity in Aquatics - This US-based group promotes Diversity in Aquatics Programs there and abroad in an effort to decrease drowning around the world.

Swim Strong Foundation - "The Swim Strong Foundation is a not for profit organization dedicated to inspire youth to achieve their potential through competitive swimming."

Sport and Development

International Platform on Sport and Development - This site is an "information resource centre dedicated entirely to Sport & Development." Details of projects and organizations around the world.

Peace Passers - A nonprofit organization working to collect and distribute soccer supplies to people throughout the world.

Youth Development

Association for Children and their Environment - ANIA - A non-profit association promoting socially and environmentally friendly practices and values among children through innovative programming.