Go With the Flow

On a sunny May afternoon, I arrived at Felt St. Park to interview youth pastor Nick Hart about his non-profit afterschool program, Flow. As I navigated around the dozens of hyper Middle School students skateboarding, riding bikes, and wrestling on the grass, I had my eye out for a well-dressed, conservative looking gentlemen. Underneath a pop-up tent I spotted a tatted up skater dude with a backwards hat and baggy shorts chatting with some kids. Maybe he’ll know where Nick is, I thought to myself. 

After I asked, I was surprised when he told me that he, in fact, was Nick Hart. That’ll teach me to judge a book by it’s cover! After our introductions, we walked over to an empty picnic bench to converse away from the cacophony of riled-up kids. There, we were joined by Hart’s Flow teammate Kim Clary, who has had a lot of experience working with the youth in the past, as she and her husband ran a similar nonprofit for ten years called The Core.

Hart explained that he began working with kids back in 2010 at an after-school youth ministry program he started at Faith Community Church. When school let out, Hart met with kids at Branciforte Middle School, where they would hang out, eat pizza and play youth ministry games and dodgeball. Over time, the success of the program encouraged him to expand his program to a wider population.

“I just really felt like it would be cool to offer this to the greater community, not just this small neighborhood church,” he explained. “So, in 2017, with the help of Kim, I started Flow, an official nonprofit. By 2018, we started a completely free after school program with our friends at Santa Cruz Hope Church, who had a giant space for us to use.”

At Flow, middle school and high school students could link up in the afternoon to enjoy an assortment of indoor skate ramps, video games, and crafts. They also received instruction in woodworking, vinyl cutting, glass etching, and jiu jitsu. For those who were interested, there was a free incentive-based tutoring program. Hart, who himself didn’t learn to read until he was 14 despite his efforts, understood the challenges some students faced. To incentivize learning, he awarded participants with raffle tickets for every ten hours of tutoring they completed.

“At the end of the year, we’d always have all these, super sick raffles and giveaways where the kids could win tons of prizes, such as bikes, wetsuits and boards,” he said.

When the pandemic happened, Flow was faced with a dilemma. Indoor spaces became unavailable for hosting the 300-plus kids that participated every week, so they had to pivot to outdoor offerings. One such program is Flow Surf in Capitola, an afterschool surfing program led by Hart and professional big wave surfer Jack Akrop, where kids are taught the ins and outs of surfing, including etiquette and technique.

“Growing up here can be funny,” Hart admitted. “You could get to sixth grade, and if you didn’t learn how to surf, you could be like, ‘Well, my window is closed. I lost out of my opportunity,’ (laughs). Dude, you’re in sixth grade, you have your whole life in front of you! We even got high schoolers out there who’d never surfed. You know, it takes courage to be vulnerable at that age.”

At this point, Flow really began to take off. At at time when there was so much fear surrounding human connection, Hart began to see the immense value in what they were offering. He found, that if they could follow all the suggested precautions, facilitating interaction between youngsters during such a scary and uncertain time could get them out into the world and away from their phones and computer screens.

“We cruised through the pandemic, and when it was all said and done, we never went back indoors,” remembered Hart.

Now, Flow is stronger than ever, and has reached over 12,000 kids with their afterschool program in conjunction with Shoreline Middle School, as well as their skate and surf programs. They also serve at-risk youth with their partnership with the Juvenile Hall, where they bring in action sports such as BMX and skateboarding as part of their behavioral incentive program.

Despite all the good they are doing for the community, one of the challenges they face is sustainability and funding. Even with grants and support from donors, Hart explained that they often have to decline opportunities due to limited resources.

“We’re just spread so thin, from a financial standpoint to a staff standpoint,” Hart confessed. “If we said yes to everything, we would have been cooked and done years ago. The opportunity is there, but it’s like that old saying, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few’.”

Regardless of the challenges they face, Flow leaders such as Clary are thrilled with the impact they’re making on the youth of Santa Cruz.

“Flow is such a beautiful extension of that heart for the community,” she said. “I’m a firm builder that if you build into the youth, your community is going to thrive and flourish. I’m so excited to see the the continued impact that this organization will have as these young people grow into adults.”

For his part, Flow Surf leader Akrop considers himself lucky to be a part of such a transformative non-profit. “I went to Flow as a volunteer, looking to help others. In return, I’ve gained way more from them than I’ve ever been able to give. Flow is an incredibly safe space that offers hope to anyone who is looking.”

For more on Flow, check out their website at www.flowlovesyou.org

Follow them on Instagram @flowlovesyou