Creating spaces to
The Take 5 mental health programme makes fun, safety and coping skills accessible to everyone.
Sport and recreational activities are proven to improve wellbeing, mental health and resilience.
Our globally recognised Take 5 programme can be integrated into any sport, play or activity-based programme to bring these benefits to life.
What is Take 5?
Take 5 trains and supports facilitators around the world to use our simple, replicable model with any sport, cultural activity or art, to improve young people’s well-being and self-regulation.
How Take 5 changes lives
Any organisation can implement our 5-step mental health programme, and learn the coaching skills to provide a fun and safe foundation for children and adolescents to thrive.
Physical and fun activities positively affect mental health and make it easier to learn.
It builds strong, meaningful connections and support.
It turns play into opportunities for growth.
It instils practical tools for coping with trauma and how to make better choices.
It teaches self-awareness and self-regulation and vital social skills.
It shows adolescents how to set and achieve goals.
Who is Take 5 for?
Coaches and facilitators at sport clubs, youth groups art or community centres can incorporate Take 5 into their routine, amplifying the positive impacts of their programme.
Take 5 offers maximum benefit when working with our team for 12-18 months. We also provide our curriculum and online coaching course, free, to anyone looking to make an impact.
A history of success
Take 5 builds on the success of Waves For Change, which began in 2009, using surfing to reach at-risk adolescents in South Africa.
Years of research and programme development showed remarkable success in improving wellbeing, building stronger relationships, and developing new coping skills. We’re now sharing our programme with the world for use in other settings and activities.
Become a Take 5 Coach
Our free online course equips you with coaching skills a daily routine and fun, simple, evidence-based mental health activities for children and adolescents.
Take 5 Online Course for Caring Coaches
This course is designed to provide anyone working with youths the knowledge, skills and framework to integrate Take 5 into what you’re already doing.
Take 5 Coach’s Guide Routine & Activities
This guide book contains all the fun, evidence-based games we’ve developed at Take 5. Download it to bring these games to your beach, field or playground!
Take 5 Essential Coaching Skills Handbook
This resource supports the Caring Coaches who deliver well-being and youth-development programmes.
You’ll learn 9 essential coaching skills to help you connect with your participants and integrate Take 5 into your programme.
The Take 5 daily routine
The Take 5 teaching routine involves five key activities, intentionally selected to increase social connections, mastery of self-regulation techniques and respite through play and fun.
Energizers
Emotional check ins
Paced breathing exercises
Games on self-regulation, future planning, and social connection
Emotional check outs
Become a Take 5 Champion
Take 5 Champions are leaders in their organisations that have been trained in-person to adopt and scale Take 5. Contact us today to become a Take 5 Champion!
International NGOs and NPOs
Partner with us to embed Take 5 into your municipal, provincial and national programmes and networks.
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Sports clubs, art and cultural groups, community centres, schools, and children’s homes
Take 5 allows you to bring meaningful mental and social skills to any group sport, activity and play. Take 5 becomes part of your daily routines with young people, creating positive mental, social and physical habits.
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5 Pillars of Success
When you use Take 5, you embed five essential protective factors into children’s lives. Over years of child-lead research and in-the field experience, we know these factors protect young people from stress and help them recover from adversity:
Positive mentors and peers
A safe space
Fun and challenging new tasks
Social and emotional skills
New opportunities and support systems
Testimonials
Hear from the families, Coaches, children and organisations who’ve experienced the Take 5 benefits.