Women’s Outreach Mentorship Program (WOMP)
Our flagship surf-and-mentorship program uplifting underserved teen girls and young women.
Changing Tides Surf Mentorship Program
The Women’s Outreach Mentorship Program (WOMP) uses surfing as a tool for empowerment and environmental education.
Through this surf mentorship program, we work with underserved teen girls through mentorship, surfing & education to help build confidence, community, emotional resilience, and a sense of belonging in ocean spaces.
The program is intentionally designed for underserved and underrepresented youth, especially those facing barriers to ocean access.
[Video] Our 2022 WOMP Summer Session: We hosted a female-identifying group ages 16-19 here in San Diego.
Take a look at how the ladies felt about their experience at WOMP!
How Our Surf Program Works
Our program runs as a multi-week cohort (typically 6+ weeks) combining:
Surf sessions with trained women mentors
Ocean literacy + environmental stewardship
Wellness practices (journaling, breathwork, body positivity, self-advocacy)
Guest speakers, community partners, and experiential learning
A supportive sisterhood rooted in inclusion and collective care
We pair each participant with an adult mentor to help them in and out of the surf each week.
Each week we lead our participants in surf sessions taught by the CTF team.
We begin each session with guests speakers leading us in important discussions about ocean safety, menstrual health, body positivity, surf therapy and more.
We use surfing as a tool for empowerment and environmental education.
Through WOMP, we work with underserved teen girls through mentorship, surfing & education. Our past WOMP programs around the world have proved to us that forming a meaningful relationship with the ocean and surfing create a lasting impression on a young woman’s life forever.
Unfortunately, sometimes economic and social inequality prevent accessibility to the ocean, even for those living in coastal communities. Through WOMP, we hope to bridge that gap and give these young ladies a newfound love for the ocean! This program helps these ladies build confidence, in & out of the water.
We are thrilled to have so many incredible women coming together to broaden our surf community and are so thankful to have our amazing mentors, guest speakers and volunteers investing their time into these girls’ futures and longing to make a positive impact!
Our surf mentorship program has been brought to life in communities across the globe through partnerships with local organizations:
Panama – With Give & Surf + Beyond the Surface International (Sisterhood by the Sea)
Dominican Republic – With Mariposa Foundation (“Sameseas”)
Peru & El Salvador – Surf, empowerment, and community-centered mentorship activations (with Beyond the Surface Intl and more)
Each cohort is tailored to the local cultural and environmental context while maintaining the core surf mentorship model.
We dream of mentorship activations to be community driven as well, empowering water women to share their ocean knowledge with others who otherwise wouldn’t have access.
Surf Mentorship Around the World
WOMP Panama with Give & Surf
Sisterhood by the Sea is a look into the lives of a group of young women who are falling in love with the ocean. This WOMP Panama project was made possible by Give & Surf, in collaboration with Beyond the Surface INTL and Jaz Levis.
We believe enjoying the outdoors is a human right. Across the world, women often fall into rolls and duties that keep them from being able to play outside. At CTF, the ocean has been a resource of energy, freedom, and community. WOMP is an opportunity for CTF staff, members, and volunteers, alike to pass on their ocean knowledge and support to others.
If you’re interested in hosting a WOMP program or surf meet-up in your area, head to our Memberships page for access to our growing portal.
WOMP Dominican Republic with Mariposa Foundation
Check out our film Sameseas, a short documentation of our WOMP DR program with the exceptional Mariposa Foundation:
WOMP is an ongoing, collaborative effort to share ocean knowledge and access with women and girls.
For some girls and women, exposure to the ocean can be life-changing, creating drive to believe in their own career dreams, or simply find moments of peace and tranquility to empower perspective for life on land.
The ocean provides an incredible space for healing, life perspective, athleticism and more, but often women and girls do not have ocean skills nor access or community to learn with.
