Skateistan

Upon first seeing the site of school age girls joyfully skateboarding up and down ramps in an indoor skatepark, one of the last places you would expect to be is in war-torn Kabul, Afghanistan. But in fact, since 2007, Kabul is home to Skateistan, an international non profit that uses skateboarding to empower male and female youth in Afghanistan. The success of the program has even spread to neighboring Pakistan as well as Cambodia.

Australian founder of Skateistan, Oliver Percovich saw the need skateboarding filled in the lives of these youth and began to dedicate himself to the construction and completion of a skate school in Kabul. In 2009, a skate park and educational facility was built with land granted by the Afghan National Olympic Committee.

The aim is to connect with marginalized youth in Afghanistan to provide a quality education that otherwise would not be available. From the website:

“In Kabul, Skateistan’s participants come from all of Afghanistan’s diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, and include 40% female students, hundreds of streetworking children, and youth with disabilities. In our skatepark and classrooms they develop skills in skateboarding, leadership, civic responsibility, multimedia, and creative arts. The students themselves decide what they want to learn; we connect them with a safe space and opportunities for them to develop the skills that they consider important.”

Sports diplomacy can be a powerful component of citizen diplomacy and has truly impacted the lives of the youth across the world. A solid example exists in the work of Skateistan.

What is key is the education of and participation by female students. For more on that salient topic, see video below!

Categorised in: Blog

This post was written by ianm