Ground Swell

We want to change Newquay’s image nationally and get people to see that there’s way more to where we live than just stag and hen partying and boozing.

It’s time for this to stop. Right now. We’re taking a stand to let people know enough’s enough.

The more people we can get to join us, the sooner things are going to change.

But to do this, we need your help.

My a’th kar Newquay means ‘I love you, Newquay’ in Cornish.

We’re a group of young people who are trying to make things better. We love living in Newquay, and we want to show people just how awesome life can be here.  Part of it is about respect – we want people to respect our town, whether they live here all year around or are just visiting.

We’ve got an amazing professional artist on board, Matt McIvor, who’s helping us transform some of the ugly, derelict sites around the town. Excess Energy, a PR & communications company in Newquay, has got loads of experience working with young people and bags of enthusiasm is helping us run the media campaign. If you like doing media stuff, it’s a great chance to get some work experience on a real project and try something new.

What we’re looking for

We want to push My a’th kar Newquay to the max.  We’re starting to get support in the local papers and with local businesses getting on board. But we want to do even more – we want to get people across the country to sit up and take notice of what we’re doing. And we want to persuade local businesses to step up and support the project, too.

We want:

Young people age 16-25 who want to have their say in what goes on in Newquay.

• Artists/creative types who want to get involved in the hands-on, messy stuff, turning very big ideas into reality on our streets
• Social media gurus to spread the word about the project online on our blog, Twitter and Facebook
• Budding PR people to write press releases, set up photo shoots, talk to journalists, make viral iPhone films…

The artwork’s going to go up on high-profile sites all over Newquay and will get seen by thousands of people.  You know all those boring, empty boards around sites where they’re building new developments?  That’s what we’re going to transform.

You’ll get the chance to have your say on issues that matter and be involved in a project that’s going to make a huge difference to people’s lives. And you’ll also learn new skills - and have fun doing it!

Interested?

Get in touch with Fiona Egglestone on Fiona@excessenergycomms.com or call 01637 852130 to find out more.

Hope to hear from you soon!

PS: Check out our blog and Twitter!

http://iloveyounewquay.blogspot.com

Twitter: iloveyounewquay

Ground Swell CIC launches latest “Pull In”

Ground Swell CIC the only non-profit making surf company devoted to young surfers has just launched its latest and coolest project “Pull In”.
Starting this week a selection of 16 to 25 year old surfers from around the Cornwall will enrol onto a European first; a project tailor-made to each student to help them achieve success within their chosen area of the surf industry.

Students on “Pull In” will gain help in areas such as surf coaching or starting a surf business, surf photography or event management, to name a selection. The three month programme will help them gain the right qualifications, guide them to make the right choices and ensure they receive support not found anywhere else. Funded by Learning and Skills Council and European Social Fund the project is set to break new barriers.

You can follow their story via the website (http://www.groundswellcic.com), if you are under 25 and into surfing, at whatever level, wherever you are in the country, you can join for free to receive notice of the latest opportunities in courses, funding, travel and events!

Already this year Ground Swell has held advanced surf training days, all girls surf days, a surf exchange to France, surf media course and raised fund to ensure the Pro Junior event was held at Saltburn and Fistral as part of the UK Pro Surf Tour all free of charge!

And if that was not enough Ground Swell has secured grass roots funding to provide a mobile, highly equipped surf school to provide free surf coaching in all areas around Cornwall and to follow us at each pro junior event around the UK. With a full range of Quiver surfboards, softboards and the latest West wetsuits

We need your help

If you are under 25 join today by clicking here or by contacting pete@groundswellcic.com
If you are a company that can provide support, discounts or sponsorship contact chris@groundswellcic.com

Aloha team. We have just recieved a very good looking batch of Ground Swell membership cards. The first 100 applicants will be able to join Ground Swell for free.

Once a member you will be kept up to date with the latest trips, opportunities, work, surf coaching and everything else Ground Swell does.

Plus you will have access to a massive list of discounts see here.

So if you are over 10 years old, and under 25, into surfing and want to join fill in this membership form.

Ground Swell has just been approached by a professional theatre company to work with them this summer to pull together a multi media production about surfing!

Different we thought, but sounds interesting. The project will include Dj’s, MC’s, street dance, video, photography and surfing!

They will teach us what we need to know so if you’re interested give us a shout.

pete@groundswellcic.com or 07968 892829

As the students turn up today at the Errant Surf School in Newquay, they face the toughest day to date on their four week Cross Step course. For the last week they have been running, swimming, studying and researching all the elements of what it takes to become a beach lifeguard. Today the students, who are now half way through the course will have a Signal Test, Knot Test and if that was not enough we will be heading up to WaterWorld swimming pool for the final swim test! Students will have to swim 400m in under 7 minutes 40 seconds.

After a long cold Cornish winter we are gearing up for the first Cross Step course of 2010. If you managed to get your name down on the list, then expect a call this week!

The four week FREE lifeguard and BSA surf coach course starts on the 1st March 2010. If you miss this one, don’t panic! We are running two more in April and May 2010.

For more information go to http://www.realideas.org/real/news/2010/01/29/cross-step-now-recruiting

If you want to make waves by finding a job and getting future work in the surf industry then you need look no further than the innovative Cross Step project, which is now recruiting surf hungry individuals for its new wave starting in March 2010. Specially designed for young people who are not in education or employment (NEETs), the exciting four week scheme gives young people from across Cornwall the opportunity to gain new qualifications in surf coaching and lifeguarding at no cost to themselves. After the successful Cross Step pilot scheme in summer 2009, the new programme will begin in the spring with graduates ready to take up jobs in the 2010 summer surf season.

The Real Ideas Organisation (RIO) has been working with Chris Thomson, Managing Director of Errant Surf Holidays and Cornwall Business Awards’ Young Business Person of the Year 2009, to set up Cross Step. Based on the success of other similar vocational schemes such as Fifteen Cornwall and RIO’s Xtra-Vert, Cross Step is a fresh project aimed at giving young Cornish people a new and accessible way to improve themselves and help get them into jobs, courses or apprenticeships.

Through practical and theory sessions, one on one training and plenty of water time, The ‘Cross Steppers’ graduate with a NARS Beach Lifeguard Award and a British Surfing Association (BSA) Award, as well as work experience and further surf coach training. On top of that, the recruits have the chance to grow marketing and presentation skills, develop their CVs and build industry contacts; fully equipping them to forge bright futures in the world of water sports.

The first ever group of Cross Step graduates were put through their paces by Chris and his team at Errant Surf Holidays during the summer 2009 season. Thomas Jarman, aged 24, Naomi Jane Webb, aged 23, both from Falmouth and Mitch Corbett, aged 22, from Newquay, graduated with qualifications that now allow them to work anywhere in the world as surf instructors and lifeguards. Naomi has gone on to secure a position at Falmouth Surf School and Thomas is keen to get into surf coaching and lifeguarding abroad. Mitch meanwhile is going on to be an ambassador for RIO, helping to spread the word about the organisation. In return RIO has agreed to sponsor him in surf contests over the next year.

Mitch Corbett says of the Cross Step scheme, “I am really stoked to be going on to be an ambassador for RIO as they do such great work with young people. Because of Cross Step I now have qualifications that can help me get a job and compete in surf competitions all over the world. It’s a real bonus to have proper qualifications in something I enjoy doing.”

Jodi Redgrove, founder and Project Manager Cross Step says, “We’ve had such a good outcome from the pilot Cross Step scheme because we’ve been able to tap into something that is not only relevant and exciting for young people but is also sustainable and useful. We’re hoping to build on this success and get even more young people trained up for 2010.”

The next Cross Step course starts in March and is open to all young people across Cornwall and will take place in Newquay. The deadline to apply for the first course of the year is 15 February and to qualify you must be aged 16-25, unemployed and not in education.

If you are interested in finding out more about the next round of Cross Step, get in touch at hannah.barattini@realideas.org.

Next Monday 21st December 2009, 10am till 4, we are starting the next part of the Ground Swell surf media course. You will learn how to put your own online video profile together including how to shoot some surf footage, produce a professional looking interview and what all them clever buttons on the video camera’s do! Give us a shout if you fancy joining in.

How would you like to be part of the management team for a national UK Junior Pro Surf Tour?

Groundswell, The UK Pro Surf Association and Chew TV are investigating the possibility of creating a dedicated Web TV Channel to promote junior surfing and will be helping to organise a competitive tour across the UK for junior surfers in 2010, which will be run by junior surfers. That means YOU!

You will be working with some of the hottest talent in the design industry, as well as surf industry professionals, to develop a brand new promotional campaign for emerging surf talent with young people producing all of the video, image and text content for the new Web TV Channel.

This basically means that young surfers at forthcoming UKPSA events will learn how to document themselves and their friends surfing, whilst gaining the skills needed to promote themselves online, showcasing their surfing and media talents to the industries worldwide! The films are intended to encourage more of the UK’s young surfers to work within media, and submit their own films of them surfing, putting the UK groms on the map!

Chew TV will also be running other workshops, so you can learn the skills needed to administer content online, building up your media literacy in an area that is becoming increasingly relevant within the surfing industry and is a viable backup career plan.

So if you fancy kick-starting a career in project/ event management, journalism, photography, filmmaking or of course surfing! Then get involved. We will be looking to recruit a team of twelve keeno’s aged 13-19 to be the management team that will pull it all together, with the help of trained professionals, that cover all of the above areas.

Please email Josh Hughes (joshhughes1@btinternet.com) if you’re up for it and we’re going to be meeting in Newquay on Thursday 10th December at 5pm, so put the date in your diary.

This week Ground Swell CIC will be launching our new credit scheme to keep track of dedicated members, and reward them with free overseas trips and other great opportunities.

In short, the more involvement you have with Ground Swell the more GS Credits you will receive. For example people enrolled on the six week (every Saturday) Surf Media Course will gain 800 credits. If the same people turn up each Tuesday to our GS hang outs (more details to follow at the weekend) then they will gain 50 GS credits each night.
Every couple of months, Ground Swell will be putting on free surf trips.

In the past these have been to Lanzarote, Spain and France. These trips will have a GS value of anything between 1,000 – 4,000 credits. You can exchange your GS credits for these trips.