Our PROJECTS

At Ocean Mind, we improve the wellbeing of young people by developing life skills and the ability to create beneficial relationships, while increasing the capacity of the community to support young people’s mental health.

Access to support is one of the biggest issues facing young people who continue to be impacted by the stigma associated with mental health. Mission Australia’s Youth Mental Health Report (2018) found that one in four young people had a probable serious mental illness, and that young people chose to source support from friends and parents above clinical support.

One of Mission Australia’s key recommendations was that community-based, recovery-oriented supports are required to complement clinical and acute services. Ocean Mind is addressing the need for increased and diverse youth mental health support services for young people.
Ocean Mind provides easily accessible, long term support for young people using a simple formula of surfing, mentoring and fun. Ocean Mind has a continuous waiting list, alongside other mental health providers such as Headspace and Jigsaw.

6-Week Program

Ocean Mind provides a six-week program that includes a two-hour surf therapy session every week. In these sessions, young people are matched 1:1 with a community mentor, who helps them to build their communication, trust and relationship building skills. Learning how to surf requires perseverance, confidence and courage, qualities that can help young people overcome whatever challenges they face in life.


New members receive a welcome pack when they join the Ocean Mind program, complete with a t-shirt, a drink bottle, and information booklets. The welcome packs were created to reduce the anxiety and pressure kids often face on their first day, and provides a sense of community with the merchandise.


Each program costs $5,700 to run for 10 people, with 10 volunteers, two paid instructors and a paid program facilitator. Ocean Mind aims to introduce one additional program every year, and to expand into Anglesea and the surrounding Geelong region by 2023.

Surf Clubs

To continue involvement and support of program participants, we create Surf Clubs, where we provide members with games, activities and access to surf beaches with supervision. The support group offers a chance for young people to interact with other members and their mentors, to encourage talking and connecting. In the future, we’d love to see participants turn into mentors themselves, and give back, based on what they have learned.

These Surf Clubs cost $2,000 for two sessions over a weekend, with 10 members, the program facilitator and instructor, and a bus to get people to and from the venue.

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