The Watersmith Journal
First Waves Indiana Film Premiere
Join us for the official film premiere of First Waves Indiana! The event will celebrate the latest regional project of First Waves that empowers youth in the region to contribute to watershed conservation and recreation.
In Our Own Backyard - A First Waves Film
The First Waves Team was back in Johnstown with a whole new cast of youth participating in the project for the first time. In total, more than 20 students from the Greater Johnstown Schools took part with activities ranging from river surfing, the art of filmmaking, and watershed conservation sciences. The students also completed a riparian improvement along a Class-A Wild Trout Stream as part of the project.
Adaptation - A Recap of First Waves 2020
The endeavor of running rivers, especially ones strewn with whitewater, is a practice in adaptation. The best looking lines don’t always work out, and plan B or C are often called on for relief. Something as small as a light bump with an unseen rock can alter a smooth descent into a sideways and backwards gauntlet like ballet in combat boots. While style and grace are admired, the important thing is getting to the bottom in one piece. In the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, education and youth experiences edged beyond a light bump with a stone. In many cases, it was as if the entire river disappeared beneath them. For the First Waves program to continue working with youth in the Johnstown area, the mindset of adaptability needed to be fully embraced.
Contours - Official Film Premiere
Contours is the latest film project by First Waves, a program that inspires conservation through the art of filmmaking and the pursuit of river surfing and paddleboarding.
UPSTREAM - Official Online Launch
A MUST WATCH! You can now view the First Waves film, Upstream, online. This film shows the devastating impact that pollution and industry can have on watersheds and outdoors recreation. It also shows the benefits of cleaner water and how First Waves’ students and volunteers are taking an active role in the Greater Johnstown region in order to influence a watershed that extends to Pittsburgh and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico. Upstream is an inspiring showcase of how a group of kids can inspire all of us to get outside and protect the water that connects us all.
UPSTREAM - Film Premiere
The events of the First Waves Johnstown program in July of 2018 imbued a sense of urgency and amplified passion for everyone in attendance. A pollution event upstream of the program site resulted in water that was too tarnished to proceed with the paddleboarding and whitewater activities for local teens. Students that wouldn’t otherwise have the means or opportunities to experience the river were on deck for their first paddling experiences. Instead, they focused on the other aspect of the First Waves workshop – filmmaking. They learned to document what they were experiencing and create a film that could influence others to take an interest in watershed conservation. Their film, Upstream, does exactly that.
Surf Film Event with Patagonia Pittsburgh
Attention Pittsburgh surfers, paddlers, water enthusiasts and adventurers - First Waves and SurfSUP Adventures will be partnering with Patagonia Pittsburgh as they host a Never Town Film Screening with professional surfer, Dan Ross, on Tuesday, October 23! There will be refreshments, food, raffles and more that will all benefit the First Waves program to engage underserved youth in river surfing, watershed conservation and filmmaking! We hope to see you all there!
First Waves at 5Point Film Festival Pittsburgh
There’s something about outdoor film festivals that makes you question what you’re capable of. The combination of immaculately captured places, harrowing adventures, and a cast of characters only conjured by sports involving leaps from cliffs, vertical climbs, or skate boards hurdling down mountain roads at 70-mph. But why are these festivals so moving?
First Waves Partners With G-FORM
First Waves is all about adventure. Learning to perform outside your comfort zone is what enables participants to grow, and inspire others. But like any proper adventure, there are obstacles to overcome. For First Waves, one of these obstacles are the rocks that surround the waves and rapids we surf and document. To stay protected, First Waves is proud to announce its latest partner, G-Form Protection.