Wind Futures: Our First Six Riders Are Progressing on the Water

Wind Futures has reached an exciting milestone, with all six of the young people in our first funded group now progressing through their kitesurfing lessons — and some already getting up and riding on the water.

The programme was created by East Kent Kitesurfing Community to make kitesurfing accessible to young people who might otherwise never have the opportunity to take part.

Kitesurfing can be an expensive sport to enter. Professional instruction, equipment and continued access to the water all create barriers for young people and families who may be interested in the sport but simply cannot justify the cost.

Wind Futures is designed to remove those barriers.

Our first six participants began with introductory sessions before progressing into structured lessons with professional instructors. They are now developing their kite control, board skills, water confidence and understanding of the conditions needed to participate safely in the sport.

For several of the group, that progression has now reached one of the biggest milestones for any new kitesurfer: getting up on the board and riding across the water.

Seeing that progression is exactly what Wind Futures was created to achieve.

From an idea to a growing programme

The first stage of Wind Futures was made possible with support from Vattenfall, allowing us to begin turning the programme into something tangible for young people in East Kent.

Since then, the programme has continued to grow.

East Kent Kitesurfing Community has now also secured support from Broadstairs & St Peter’s Town Council and Boskalis, helping us create further opportunities for young people to experience and progress within the sport.

Rather than providing a single experience day, our aim is to create a genuine pathway into kitesurfing.

That means giving young people enough time on the water to learn, develop their skills and begin building the confidence needed to participate in the sport beyond their first session.

Measuring the impact

Alongside their practical progression, we are also following participants throughout the programme to understand its wider impact.

We are looking at areas including confidence, physical activity, knowledge, skills development, connection with the local coastline and attitudes towards outdoor sport.

This will allow us to understand not only whether participants learn to kitesurf, but what taking part in a programme like Wind Futures can mean more broadly for a young person.

The progress of our first six participants is an important first step.

And with more funded places now being created, Wind Futures is only just getting started.