By: Siya Mahomba The Take 5 Model, adapted from Waves for Change Surf Therapy program, is launching this month to tackle the youth mental health crisis in underserved communities. This simple, replicable framework integrates with sports, art, or recreational activities to mitigate toxic stress in adolescents. Trained facilitators or coaches create safe community spaces for children to play, grow, and develop vital coping skills. Toxic stress affects many adolescents in low-to-middle-income countries, where they face violence, poverty, and limited access to resources. Take 5 addresses this by providing a low-cost, community-based mental health program. Originally developed for surf therapy, Take 5 has been adapted for other activities like soccer, dancing, and chess. Partners like UNICEF South Sudan and the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sports (DCAS) have seen significant improvements in children’s well-being, resilience, and emotional regulation. In South Sudan, over 3,700 young people have participated in Take 5, showing improved emotional regulation, social connectedness, and reduced aggression. DCAS’s MOD program has integrated Take 5 into its after-school activities, serving over 40,000 youth from underserved communities. The Take 5 guidebook and online course are available for free, with additional training and supervision offered. Results show that Take 5 can be effectively integrated into various programs, providing hope to underserved youth affected by violence, conflict, and crisis worldwide. Take 5’s success stories include: Improved emotional regulation and social connectedness in South Sudanese children Reduced aggression and increased confidence in participants Positive feedback from police officers and participants As Derek Daniels, International Manager of Take 5, says, “Take 5 builds the essence of what children need to reinvent their lives – love, safety, confidence, friendships, mentors, and connections. It works with children who have lost all hope and for whom the community are prepared to incarcerate or execute; it is genuinely transformative.” Visit www.take-5.org or email: take5@waves-for-change.org for more information.
By: Siya Mahomba The Take 5 Model, adapted from Waves for Change Surf Therapy program, is launching this month to tackle the youth mental health crisis in underserved communities. This simple, replicable framework integrates with sports, art, or recreational activities to mitigate toxic stress in adolescents. Trained facilitators or coaches create safe community spaces for children to play, grow, and develop vital coping skills. Toxic stress affects many adolescents in low-to-middle-income countries, where they face violence, poverty, and limited access to resources. Take 5 addresses this by providing a low-cost, community-based mental health program. Originally developed for surf therapy, Take 5 has been adapted for other activities like soccer, dancing, and chess. Partners like UNICEF South Sudan and the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sports (DCAS) have seen significant improvements in children’s well-being, resilience, and emotional regulation. In South Sudan, over 3,700 young people have participated in Take 5, showing improved emotional regulation, social connectedness, and reduced aggression. DCAS’s MOD program has integrated Take 5 into its after-school activities, serving over 40,000 youth from underserved communities. The Take 5 guidebook and online course are available for free, with additional training and supervision offered. Results show that Take 5 can be effectively integrated into various programs, providing hope to underserved youth affected by violence, conflict, and crisis worldwide. Take 5’s success stories include: Improved emotional regulation and social connectedness in South Sudanese children Reduced aggression and increased confidence in participants Positive feedback from police officers and participants As Derek Daniels, International Manager of Take 5, says, “Take 5 builds the essence of what children need to reinvent their lives – love, safety, confidence, friendships, mentors, and connections. It works with children who have lost all hope and for whom the community are prepared to incarcerate or execute; it is genuinely transformative.” Visit www.take-5.org or email: take5@waves-for-change.org for more information.
By: Siya Mahomba
The Take 5 Model, adapted from Waves for Change Surf Therapy program, is launching this month to tackle the youth mental health crisis in underserved communities. This simple, replicable framework integrates with sports, art, or recreational activities to mitigate toxic stress in adolescents. Trained facilitators or coaches create safe community spaces for children to play, grow, and develop vital coping skills.
Toxic stress affects many adolescents in low-to-middle-income countries, where they face violence, poverty, and limited access to resources. Take 5 addresses this by providing a low-cost, community-based mental health program. Originally developed for surf therapy, Take 5 has been adapted for other activities like soccer, dancing, and chess.
Partners like UNICEF South Sudan and the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sports (DCAS) have seen significant improvements in children’s well-being, resilience, and emotional regulation. In South Sudan, over 3,700 young people have participated in Take 5, showing improved emotional regulation, social connectedness, and reduced aggression. DCAS’s MOD program has integrated Take 5 into its after-school activities, serving over 40,000 youth from underserved communities.
The Take 5 guidebook and online course are available for free, with additional training and supervision offered. Results show that Take 5 can be effectively integrated into various programs, providing hope to underserved youth affected by violence, conflict, and crisis worldwide.
Take 5’s success stories include:
As Derek Daniels, International Manager of Take 5, says, “Take 5 builds the essence of what children need to reinvent their lives – love, safety, confidence, friendships, mentors, and connections. It works with children who have lost all hope and for whom the community are prepared to incarcerate or execute; it is genuinely transformative.”
Visit www.take-5.org or email: take5@waves-for-change.org for more information.