this year's eric stricker memorial award goes to...

skateistan & oliver percovich!

this year’s eric stricker memorial award deservedly goes to the incredible people at skateistan, who have spent the past eight years using skateboarding as a tool of empowerment for youths in afghanistan, south africa and cambodia. founded by oliver percovich in 2007 and with their first facility opened in ’09 in kabul, the non-profit, non-governmental organization works with children from a range of socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds in some of the most war-torn and impoverished countries on the planet to build trust, offer educational opportunities and bring hope to youths whose lives and living conditions might otherwise seem exceedingly difficult from our perspective of first-world comforts.

read more, here...

- tws.

check out skateistan.

keep skateistan rolling in 2014 - madina's story (afghanistan).

things are changing in afghanistan. help skateistan continue to empower afghan youth like madina and keep skateistan rolling! this july we're aiming to raise 20,000usd and we need your help, here!

16-year-old madina is one of afghanistan's most talented skaters. starting out in skateistan's creative arts and skateboarding program, madina began as a student but has quickly become an excellent female role model and an inspiring teacher.

only 13% of afghan women can read and over 70,000 afghan children work in the streets daily to support their families.

since joining skateistan, madina has gone from ordinary afghan girl to a tedx speaker. in 2014 she represented afghanistan at un habitat's world urban forum in 2014 - her first time leaving her country.

help us keep skateistan rolling and continue to offer leadership opportunities to the youth of afghanistan, cambodia and south africa through skateboarding.

check out skateistan.

keep skateistan rollin'!

image: skateistan

this holiday season raise awareness and give a gift to the students of skateistan in afghanistan and cambodia by joining skateistan’s fundraising drive 'keep skateistan rolling'. make this fundraising campaign logo your profile photo with this message as a caption for the first two weeks of december and go here to find out more.

check out skateistan.

peace.

tragic loss of skateistan youth...

on the morning of saturday september 8th a suicide attack in kabul claimed the lives of a number of young afghans. the bomb was detonated outside of the international security assistance force (isaf) hq, where many of the street working children of kabul sell trinkets, scarves and chewing gum to help support their families.

we are very sad to learn that of the six young children confirmed to have passed away, four of them were students, volunteers and youth leaders at skateistan, who were well-loved and well-known faces for the entire team in kabul. it is therefore with great pain and heavy hearts that we share our memories of children who were not just victims of senseless violence, but also beautiful human beings who will never be forgotten by their teachers, peers, co-workers, students, friends or family.
read more here.


check out skateistan.

peace.

p.s. you can make a donation for the loss of skateistan's students here. please help!

skateboarders in afghanistan take to the streets.

these children belong to skateistan, an organisation which started in kabul four years ago with only a few boards.

today there is a new indoor skateboard park, where 400 children a week skate and learn.

classes are about expression, including photography, film making and poetry.

- jennifer glass.

check out al jazeera and skateistan.

to live and skate in kabul, afghanistan.

the video above is kinda old but anyways... watch the movie trailer for skateistan here.

educate!

check out skateistan.

skateistan movie trailer.

skateistan is afghanistan’s (and the world’s) first co-educational skateboarding school. the school engages growing numbers of urban and internally-displaced youth in afghanistan through skateboarding, and provides them with new opportunities in cross-cultural interaction, education, and personal empowerment programs. the students are selected from all of afghanistan’s diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. they will develop skills in skateboarding, skateboarding instruction, healthy habits, civic responsibility, information technology, the arts, and languages. the students themselves decide what they want to learn; we connect them with teachers who will enable them to develop the skills that they consider important. since skateistan has been active in kabul, we’ve seen that afghan youth of all ethnicities, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds love to skateboard. skateistan brings them together, equipping young men and women to lead their communities toward social change and development.

- skateistan.

check out skateistan.