Ongoza is a social network for the boarding culture (surfers, snowboarders, skaters, wakeboarders, ect.). It’s a place to meet and interact with the riders, organizations and companies that make up the boarding industry.
That being said it’s the Ongoza Project that makes it entirely different than “just another social network” site. The purpose is to create a more informed and interactive boarding community and work closely with the charities, organizations and individuals whose primary goal is to make a difference in the lives of others who may not have the opportunities that most of us take for granted. (This could be something as simple as being lucky enough to own a wakeboard, surfboard, etc.).
Recently, the Ongoza Project has teamed up SurfTech and Shayne and Shannon McIntyre from the Fuel TV show “On Surfari”. Shayne and Shannon are planning a trip to Central America where they will be visiting local care homes (The Gabriel House) for handicapped children and various youth rehab centers to help encourage and inspire kids that have gone through difficult times. The plan is to get them in the water, having fun, laughing and sharing in the experience of learning how to Surf. For this, SurfTech has graciously donated 10 surfboards for Shayne and Shannon to bring with them as they go to share and inspire locals while filming their next episode of “On Surfari”. The Trip will start June 17 and is scheduled to air on FuelTV in late August. “We can’t wait to here about the trip and the kids reactions to the new surfboards; but for now our focus is to find the next project and ways in which we can help out”, said Daniel Braun, one of the 4 creators of the Ongoza Project.
With the ‘myspace’ idea in mind, the team behind Ongoza decided to create a place for the boarding industry to come together, organize itself and grow.
“We want to promote every aspect of the boarding lifestyle, not just the sports themselves but the people behind them; the riders, the artists, the filmmakers and photographers, the musicians, the company owners and everyone else involved with the boarding culture. We want to draw upon the resources of our project and its members to – together – accomplish great things in the boarding world and leave a legacy of dreams realized and lives changed”, says Craig Jackson, one of the other originators behind Ongoza.
You can visit the site and become part of the movement at ongoza.org.
