This summer Sian Sykes and her team at Psyched Paddleboarding in Wales will be teaching an environmental education program with a difference. They’ve just become a SUPKids school which means they’ll be teaching kids about the importance of protecting our planet, whilst playing outdoors.
SUPKids is a program designed to teach kids (age 5-12) Stand Up Paddleboarding, water safety & environmental education. They’ve taken environmental education out of the classroom, to the great outdoors, where they think it belongs.
‘I am delighted to launch SUPKids, it is a fantastic program I feel passionate about, to raise awareness about the environment, water safety whilst having fun paddleboarding. We all have a vital role to play and for me, it is inspiring the next generation to get involved and to open their eyes to what we can do to protect the environment whilst having fun outside.’ – Sian Sykes, founder of Psyched Paddleboarding.
The SUPKids story started in 2014 when the team taught the first SUPKids program in Queensland, Australia. They worked with the Royal Flying Doctor Service to deliver SUPKids programs to a remote Indigenous community. In 2015, the SUPKids team travelled to Thailand, where they met Svein Rasmussen and the Starboard team. They recognised that both companies shared the same passion to empower kids to learn SUP while learning about their local environment and become ambassadors for their planet.
‘We really believe that connecting kids to nature is one of the single most effective things we can do to protect the planet. And the crazy thing is that when you connect kids back to the planet, it inspires their parents & communities to do the same.’ – Linzi Hawkin, Founder SUPKids
SUPKids now has 40+ SUP schools around the world teaching the curriculum, and Sian is joining a global community of ocean advocates who are using stand up paddleboarding as a tool for education.
Psyched Paddleboarding is a perfect fit for SUPKids – Sian’s commitment to raising awareness of the threats to our ocean health through her work with Surfers Against Sewage and as an ocean ambassador for stand up paddleboard company Starboard is a testament to her passion for protecting our planet.
‘Sian and her wonderful ocean protection work is such an inspiration for all of us water crew at Starboard. We are so proud to see her join SUPKids and help inspire us all to paddle for the planet !’ – Svein Rasmussen, Founder Starboard
For more info on SUPKids see www.sup-kids.com or contact [email protected]
For more info on Psyched Paddleboarding see www.psychedpaddleboarding.com or
[email protected]
For more info on Starboard’s eco-initiatives see blue.star-board.com or contact [email protected]
