Creating a community full of heart
The Wave Trust
Founded in 2018, The Wave Trust is an important part of our residential programs for teenagers and young adults, providing a vehicle to promote connection, cultural awareness, diversity, inclusion and social responsibility.
It provides opportunities for our young people to take responsibility for themselves, the community and the environment, through social awareness, environmental projects, and active participation in local community projects.
Fiona and Malek were determined that young people joining The Wave programs would no longer feel ‘left behind’ or held back by their mental health challenges. Instead, teenagers and young adults would have an opportunity to show case their ‘superpowers’ and gather skills, to fill their young minds with confidence, creativity and most importantly, humility.
Many young people and their families agree that taking part in The Wave Trust projects has been not only amazing fun but has also changed their perception of themselves and the wider community. It is also one of our favourite times of the week and at the heart of everything that makes us ‘a little bit different’.
At The Wave, we encourage connection
The Psychological Benefits of Helping Others
When young people are challenged by trauma, eating disorders, mental health concerns or addictions, they can feel disconnected. Isolation is incredibly common. Breakdown in close relationships can be evident. Family and friends can feel hurt, angry and sad. Arguments intensify and connection can be eroded. The downward spiral can continue to intensify. Feelings of emptiness, loneliness and rejection can follow.
At The Wave, we encourage connection. Our programs are designed to build self-awareness and confidence. We do this through therapeutic activity, great psychoeducation and the power of being in a structured community.
Volunteering, being of service and helping others is just one of ways that our young people begin to feel reconnected to their environment and the world around them. When they are able to understand, hear and relate to others – truly connect – they feel able to share with honesty and receive feedback. These are the vehicles for change.
Work through the challenges involved in commitment to others
The Art of Giving
When our young people are able to stop, focus and share connection, humility returns, entitlement and obsessions are challenged and the feeling of being appreciated and appreciative is amazing to see.
The Wave Trust projects give them the opportunity to be of service, feel the benefits of giving and work through the challenges involved in commitment to others. The therapeutic and life benefits are wonderful.
Making changes in our local and regional community
Becoming Change Makers
Over the past three years, The Wave Trust has been actively involved in making changes in our local and regional community. We have participated in a wide variety of projects, including:
- contributing to the improvement of our environment
- funding support in educational settings
- providing food for those in need
- knitting blankets for babies
- providing clothes, shoes, toys and equipment to children and families
- raising funds for future projects through our jewellery making workshops
- tackling accessibility to mental health services through Street Talk and Open Drama Productions.
We have also talked trauma, domestic violence, supported looked after children and joined the local campaigns to make talk therapy available to all.
My time at The Wave was one of the best experiences in my life. I participated in many activities, learnt new life skills and made friends from other countries. It opened my eyes and gave me new knowledge and experience to be a better person. Thank you, The Wave, for giving me the best memory ever.
Creating a Love of Learning
Current Projects at The Wave Trust
Our current projects involve our young people in lesson planning and teaching basic English, science and maths (and occasionally other subjects too) in a school for whom access to education cannot be taken for granted.
By collaborating with the local charitable service provider, we are able to provide one full day teaching for large numbers of children. We have spent time in the classroom and made online teaching work with i-Pads and Zoom.
Our teenagers and young adults enjoy group education. We understand that any type of education can be daunting to some of our young people. Many of them have chequered or fractured educational records and may equate education with negative experiences, perfectionism, fear of failure or not being good enough. Learning and education is another area where The Wave is a little different.
We create a love of learning. Hands on, skills based, peer centered experiences that really capture the essence of enquiry. Each of our young people will complete the CACHE level 2 Teaching Assistants Diploma and level 1 Safeguarding Children prior to joining the Teaching Project. Not only is it a wonderful certificate, it’s a useable skill for life.
Our young people find a passion for teaching. Many are gifted. One of our super stars successfully applied to John Moores University in the UK and is well on her way to completing her PGCE and becoming a Primary Maths Specialist. That’s our dream becoming a reality.
Demonstrate skills in the care and welfare of domestic and rescue animals
Animal Care
We are actively involved in the care and housing of 500 street dogs and a similar number of cats and kittens, at Aunty Kim’s Dog Sanctuary and Rescue Cat Home.
We’ve been able to paint, decorate and spruce up the kennels. Each of our young people found creative fun in decorating a special place for the homeless dogs taken into shelter.
Feeding, bathing and pampering our furry friends is also an essential part of the small animal grooming experience. We shampoo and groom puppies and adult dogs, having learned skills from the experts at Small Animal Veterinary Care. Of course, we also get to play with the dogs and have a tremendous amount of fun.
Many of our young people combine their volunteering with a Certificate of Animal Management from The Society for the Protection of Animals, Malaysia. The certificate is awarded to those who successfully demonstrate skills in the care and welfare of domestic and rescue animals.
Our programs allow young people to further their recovery in experiential, life enhancing, therapeutic challenges
Looked After Children & Orphan Care
Looked after children and displaced children in the local community are some of the most vulnerable members of our society. By exploring Safeguarding Children, we are able to explore trauma and have a different and external viewpoint on the world around us.
One of our favourite activities takes place with our Eating Disorder Program where our teenagers and young adults plan, shop, cook and serve the children as part of The Wave Trust support team. Eating with the children, sharing the experience and creating fun after-lunch activities are wholesome and levelling experiences.
Full of challenges, our programs allow young people to further their recovery in experiential, life enhancing, therapeutic challenges. Learning and living eating disorder recovery makes all the difference between talking recovery and living recovery.
Many of our young people enjoy creative therapeutic interventions
Jewellery, Creativity and Upcycling Your Life
Many of our young people enjoy creative therapeutic interventions. We have grasped a unique opportunity to translate this into Wave Trust activities.
By collecting and recycling jersey fabrics, we are able to create reusable facemasks, headbands, scrunchies and fidget bands for young people in our community, who would otherwise not have access to simple but life changing accessories.
Our jewellery making, adorned with our signature dragonfly, raises funds for our future projects whilst providing hours of fun and friendship in our workshops.
We have been delighted to see one of our budding designers fulfill her dream of jewellery design. Having enrolled on a Diploma course at The Wave, she was able to continue her studies in a well renowned jewellery design course on her return home. We are very proud.
Our young people are successful in treatment and beyond
100% Completion Rate
Our involvement in community projects and service to others is just one of reasons that our young people are successful in treatment and beyond. We are really proud of our 100% completion rate.
Our young people choose to stay in the safety and security of The Wave.
Our programs combine traditional evidence based treatment, with individual learning plans and ‘GAP’ year activities. We have the perfect combination of skills for living, experiential pursuits and mental health services. For us, treatment is a bridge to a future filled with hope.
The Wave has provided me with the ability to feel calm with the secure feeling that they are a team of professionals who know exact what my daughter needs. It has not been easy and continues to be a challenging journey.
The consistent communication through WhatsApp, phone calls, in-person and virtual family therapy sessions and weekly report have made being halfway across the world feel as if I am as part of my daughter’s treatment as I possibly can.
I had a great experience when I was on The Wave. It was one of the best experiences in my life. I enjoy all the sessions conducted by the team. I never had a chance to speak in group, specially with friends from other countries before.
It opens my eyes and gives me a new knowledge and experience to be a better person.
It opens my eyes and gives me a new knowledge and experience to be a better person.
