Making Dreams Come True – Local Brands, Dream Projects and Skateboarding

Every week there are stories to share about where we’re at and what has been happening on the ground – and in the air for that matter! We were involved with a local event showcasing local brands, our participants have been actively working on their Dream Project for 2015 and above all we’ve been skating and progressing!

Local Scene was an event organised by Clock Art Events showcasing local talent and clothing brands, creating a much needed platform for artists, designers and entrepreneurs in Cape Town. Rayne Moses, Nebula’s founding director,  MC’d the event, highlighting and acknowledging what it takes to start a brand in South Africa – it ain’t easy! But with a Nebula Skate of Mind, all is possible!

The Dream Project for Nebula Youth this year is for everyone to own their own skateboard and visit one skatepark every month. The fundamental shift in our approach this time around is that, as an organisation, we are not doing the planning and organising. Our participants are taking ownership, responsibility and initiative to realise their dream for 2015! We look forward to supporting them in this process and witnessing the learning and growth that will be, and is already, taking place!

It isn’t news that skateboarding forms part of the foundation of Nebula… Nothing brings more fulfillment than seeing the joy that a skateboard brings to the lives of the kids that we work with! Witnessing their progression makes it even more exciting as we know that these guys are the ones that are going to be in skate magazines and videos, inspiring the next generation of skateboarders to go to the next level. This is a movement that we are proud to be a part of!

There are various ways in which you can share this journey with us! You can volunteer, share our story and support our crowdfunding campaign to be launched in the month of May! Most importantly, you can simply live life with a Nebula Skate of Mind! Until next time, keep pushing and grinding with purpose!

Earning Money with Nebula Youth

Every week is full of learnings for Nebula. We learn from each other as a team and from the kids we work with, and last week was no different. This year we are working with more kids than we did last year but are much more innovative in our approach as we struggle with challenge of limited capacity and resources. Nonetheless, all the kids are excited and committed to our programme which is evident from their participation in our weekly activities.

On Saturday, we continued with our entrepreneurship module as we prepare the kids for running their small businesses in the upcoming holidays. It is wonderful to see how passionate and excited they get for the idea of being entrepreneurs and earning money. Intertwined with skate sessions, Saturday’s programme was packed with learning, falling down and getting back up again!

With the ongoing support of our passionate and committed volunteers, we are all looking forward to the upcoming weeks ahead and what we can achieve as we live, learn and grow!

For more info on Nebula, visit our brand new website: www.nebulaskateboarding.org

Entrepreneurship and The World of Skateboarding with Nebula Youth

One of the biggest issues facing South Africa is youth unemployment. It is widely recognized that entrepreneurship is key to solving this issue and is proven to have many benefits to the entrepreneur and society. This year, Nebula has included an entrepreneurship module to its programme to kindle the entrepreneurial potential in the kids that we work with. We begun our entrepreneurship module on Saturday with the grade 7 to 9’s and are excited to see the learning that will take place when they begin their small income generation activities later this year. And of course, there is skateboarding!

Our Saturday programme also included an introduction to the world of skateboarding covering its history, styles, difference between pro’s and am’s as well as careers in skateboarding. This got the kids really amped to get rolling leading us to yet another skate session with learning that extends beyond skateboarding itself.

When we started earlier this month, the kids at Nebula Youth identified 3 values that we will practice throughout the programme – Listening, Sharing and Respect. With 30 kids every week, one can imagine the fun we have in learning together! The photo below shows the moment when boards are swapped over, demonstrating how we practice sharing in our programme.

It requires a lot of energy from our wonderful team of volunteers to keep our programme running and make the impact we make. But it is all the more rewarding when one sees the growth and learning that takes place – on and off the skateboard. If you want to support or get involved, please feel free to contact us via rayne@nebulaskateboarding.co.za. Until next time, let’s Grind with Purpose and keep pushing with a Nebula Skate of Mind!

Journaling with Nebula Youth

Saturday marked Week 2 of the Nebula Youth development programme and it was exciting to see how the kids are getting more comfortable on a skateboard. It was still a week of orientation, settling in and laying the foundation for the weeks to come.

During the week we discussed the rules for participating in the programme which was lead by the kids themselves. It included Respect, Sharing and Helping each other. We then summed up the discussion in one paragraph which would serve as agreement and had them write it in their journals.

Another aspect which we are really excited about is the support that we are getting from people wanting volunteer with Nebula. The team is growing and we are looking forward to realising our plans this year which include a series of monthly events, a fundraiser at the end of the year, a new website and a crowdfunding campaign to get our project up in another community!

Our work is not easy. We are bringing up a generation of young people who believe in themselves and their dreams yet come from an environment that doesn’t support their dreams. And we do this through skateboarding. And to us, that’s all that matters – living life with a Nebula Skate of Mind! So until next week… Grind with Purpose!