We believe that when kids fall in love with an outdoor sport, they fall in love with the outdoors. And kids who love their planet become ambassadors for taking care of it.
The program
The SUPKids program is designed to teach kids SUP, water safety & environmental education. We know what it’s like to fall in love with being in the ocean. And we know that, with a passion for SUP comes a responsibility to take care of our environment. Our vision is to create experiences for our SUPKids that will enhance their appreciation, respect & understanding for sustainable living.
Our program is run in an inclusive, non-competitive environment with a real focus on building self-esteem. We use games, drills & SUP activities to ensure that our SUPKids walk away with vital water safety skills that will stay with them for life. We’ve taken environmental education out of the classroom, to the great outdoors, where we think it belongs.
Our story
The SUPKids story starts in 2014, in Far North Queensland, Australia where we ran our very first program. We worked alongside the Royal Flying Doctor Service to deliver a SUPKids programs to an indigenous community just north of Cairns.
One program turned into two, then three … then a tour of Cape York, delivering vital water safety & environmental education to the very most remote communities, testing our inflatable SUP’s (and four wheel driving skills) to the very limit!
In 2015 we travelled to Thailand to hang out with the Starboard team and give them an opportunity to experience SUPKids for themselves. We realised our intentions were aligned; to enable kids to learn to SUP in a safe manner, whilst exploring their environment and becoming ambassadors for their planet.
Since that awesome trip, we’ve been training SUP coaches how to teach our program and setting up SUPKids Schools around the world.
How it works
Our SUPKids Schools teach our programs in the ocean, on lakes, in rivers and in safe waterways in all sorts of awesome locations. The program has been developed for kids age 5-12, and can be delivered in three ways; As a 5 day camp (during school holidays), as a 5 week program (on the weekends or after school) or as a one day activity.
All SUPKids Schools have been trained by the SUPKids team. Programs will be taught by qualified SUP coaches with lifesaving & first aid qualifications. We’re super picky when it comes to setting up new schools, so you can sure your kids are taught by the very best!
We’re partnered with the amazing folk at SeaTrees who are on a mission to reforest the ocean and reverse climate change. They plant mangroves, restore kelp forests, and protect coral reefs & seagrass - all incredible blue carbon ecosystems that can sequester up to five times more carbon than terrestrial forests.
We plant a SeaTree every month for each of our SUPKids Schools.
