Skateistan

Skateistan is an independent, neutral Afghan NGO that works with youth from a range of ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds to build trust and provide empowerment through a unique combination of skateboarding and educational activities. It is based in Kabul, Afghanistan, and was established in May 2007.

History

Skateistan was founded by Australian Oliver Percovich who first traveled to Afghanistan in February 2007. Skateistan is Afghanistan's only skateboarding school.

The idea of Skateistan began in 2007 when Percovich arrived in Kabul, Afghanistan, with three skateboards and quickly met a group of local boys and girls eager to learn how to skate. What began as informal skateboarding lessons at a local empty fountain turned into something much bigger. Percovich perceived the lack of opportunities for young Afghans, especially girls, and realized that skateboarding was a way to engage them and build community. Skateistan took shape in the following years, with the help of international donors and skateboard industry partners. It was officially registered as an Afghan NGO in July 2009.

On October 29, 2009, the 1750m2 Skateistan park officially opened, giving boys and girls in Kabul a secure environment and an indoor skatepark to come to every week.

Afghan Activities

Overview

Skateistan offers free skateboarding classes to youth in Kabul at its indoor facility through a dedicated international and Afghan team. Skateistan is open to girls and boys of all socio-economic backgrounds between the ages of 5 and 17. Students are provided with both skateboarding and classroom lessons.

Conflict in Afghanistan has been largely ongoing since 1978, leading to severe social dislocation and divisions between ethnic groups and economic classes. Minority ethnicities, the poor, the disabled, and women have been particularly oppressed, facing numerous structural and cultural barriers to accessing education and/or participating in civil society.

Using skateboarding as a hook for engaging Afghan youth and breaking down social barriers, Skateistan aims to empower girls and boys from all ethnicities, abilities and social classes. Furthermore, once they come to Skateistan there is also the opportunity in classroom lessons to provide education, skills and platforms for self-expression.

In Afghanistan, popular sports typically involve violence or competition. Skateboarding is non-competitive and requires minimal supervision and resources. As a new sport in Afghanistan, a special connection and identity is being created among participants from all backgrounds. Furthermore, the absolute novelty of skateboarding in Afghanistan means there are no existing cultural norms preventing girls from participating.

In Afghanistan, 50% of the population is under age 16, and 68% is under the age of 25. This age group is a community that is largely untouched by international aid programs seeking to foster civil society development. The most worthwhile investment that can be made towards achieving peace in Afghanistan is to provide a space that encourages tolerance, a civil society built on trust, and opportunities for education. Afghanistan’s youth of today will become the country’s next generation of leaders. As such, they must be a focal point in the program's long-term strategy to decrease support for the anti-government insurgency and build a viable, inclusive Afghan state.

Education

Skateistan currently has over 350 regular students, ages 5-17. They come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds including Pashtoon, Hazara, Uzbek and Tajik children. Skateistan strives for gender equality in one of the most gender-biased societies in the world. Nearly 40% of Skateistan's students are girls. Additionally, approximately half of Skateistan’s students work on the street and many are illiterate due to economic pressures keeping them out of school. In contrast, others are the children of government ministers. By learning and having fun together the youth build trust and understanding despite their differences.

Operating six days a week, the Skateistan facility in Kabul runs skateboarding and classroom activities, in addition to classes for disabled youth, advanced photography and film classes, and a Back-to-School program for streetworking children. Girls and boys attend on separate days. All students come once a week for one hour of skateboarding and one hour of classroom programming, taught by both Afghan and international instructors.

Classroom lessons are designed to be accessible for both literate and illiterate students by incorporating games and hands-on creative arts projects such as photography, painting, theatre, and puppetry. Past curriculum themes have been environmental health, the future of Kabul, peace in Afghanistan, gender equality, and culture. The skate sessions have 10 minutes of warm-up exercises, 30 minutes of instruction and 10 minutes of “free skating.” Skateistan provides all skateboards and safety equipment, and classes are supervised by 2-6 instructors. Students that show potential have the chance to become instructors in the program.

In both the classroom and the skatepark, peace-building, learning responsibility, respect and leadership are encouraged. Skateistan students also work towards cross-cultural understanding through multimedia exchanges with youth groups abroad in over a dozen countries, sharing videos, photos, art and blog posts. Skateistan's program uses education and sport to encourage interaction and friendship between students and allows Afghan children to have a voice that counters violence and promotes cross-cultural relationships and understanding.

Expansion

On May 2, 2011 Skateistan received a land donation in Mazar-e-Sharif, northern Afghanistan, on which to build a second facility. The 6000m2 area of land was given by the Governor of Balkh and the Afghan National Olympic Committee (ANOC). Construction will begin in summer/fall 2011 with funding from the German Federal Foreign Office.

International Activities

Volunteers and Fundraising

Although Skateistan is an Afghan NGO based in Kabul, it also has an international network of groups in other countries supporting the project. Skateistan has over 250 volunteers in 14 countries assisting the program in Afghanistan. They are part of organizations ranging from associations to non-profit corporations, and oversee Skateistan’s fundraising efforts and promotion within a given country. In 2009 over 100,000 USD was raised by volunteers. In 2010 approximately 200,000 USD was raised around the world.

A number of the volunteers in Skateistan's international network also help Kabul directly in various capacities, including graphic design, website assistance, database development, brand development, media coverage, legal assistance, and shipping logistics.

Currently, Skateistan has volunteers operating in the following countries: • Australia (non-profit entity) • Austria • Canada • Cambodia • Czech Republic • Denmark (club) • France • Germany (association) • Norway • Poland (non-profit association) • Sweden • Switzerland (association) • UK • USA (non-profit corporation)

Projects Outside Afghanistan

Skateistan is currently supporting skateboarding projects in Pakistan and Cambodia.

Funding

Major Donors

Construction of the Kabul skate/educational facility was funded by the embassies of Germany, Norway, Denmark and Canada. Running costs for 2009-2011 were primarily funded by the embassies of Norway and Denmark. In 2011, the German Federal Foreign Office committed to funding a second Skateistan facility in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan.

Sponsors and Partners

Both local and international partnerships have been essential to Skateistan’s success. The NGO's approach is to reduce costs, secure local support, and seek out flexibility/like-mindedness.

Skateistan’s sponsorship partnerships in 2010 amounted to 196,900 USD. Material sponsorships include: discounted construction for the Kabul facility from ACCL Construction; skateboarding equipment from Fallen shoes, Zero skateboards, TSG Safety Gear and Theeve trucks; and Lomography cameras. Service sponsorships include shipping assistance; hi-speed internet from Roshan (value 2200 USD monthly); skatepark design/construction from IOU Ramps and Convic Design; and expert carpentry for Skateistan's climbing wall.

Skateistan’s most important local partnership is with the ANOC, which provided Skateistan with a 10-year land lease for its Kabul facility and, in May 2011, arranged land for a second facility in Mazar-e-Sharif. Skateistan’s founder/executive director Oliver Percovich acts as an advisor to the ANOC, facilitating international opportunities for the ANOC and promoting sports in Afghanistan.

Educational partnerships in 2010/2011 include a multimedia library and international youth exchange project funded by AusAID, and Skateistan's Youth, Arts, Peace! (YAP!) project funded by UNAMA . The latter included arts workshops, an arts exhibition in Kabul, and distribution of a student-produced magazine throughout Afghanistan. These partnerships enable Skateistan to provide broader exposure to the voices of its students.

In February 2011 Skateistan partnered with the French NGO Pour une Sourire D'Enfant in Phnom Penh to help implement Cambodia’s first skatepark. With funding, networking and advisory assistance from Skateistan the Cambodian skatepark opened on March 25, 2011 .

Sustainability

The majority of Skateistan’s running costs for 2009-2011 have been funded by the embassies of Norway and Denmark, with the understanding that Skateistan is striving for self-sustainability within 2-3 years.

Skateistan’s running costs have always been kept to a minimum so that it can raise a significant percent of the necessary funds through its own funding streams. In-kind donations have been crucial in keeping operations costs low. They amounted to 737,900 USD in 2010. This includes nearly 200,000 USD in sponsorships; 59 volunteers in 10 countries valued at an additional 341,000 USD; and private donations or fundraising of approximately 200,000 USD.

Another main feature of Skateistan's sustainability approach is establishing Skateistan as a top social brand, which entails partnerships with prominent companies, filmmakers, and artists. The NGO's projected income in 2011 will include revenue from the feature length documentary “Skateistan - Four Wheels and a Board”; co-branded safety equipment and skateboard shoes; Skateistan clothing and book; and fundraising worldwide.

To promote the local sustainability of the project Skateistan matches skilled international volunteers with Afghan staff to build capacity; trains promising students as volunteers or staff; and has a student council leadership program to encourage a sense of ownership by the students over the project.

Documentaries

There are currently two documentaries about Skateistan that have been released. In late 2010 a 9-minute short documentary entitled "Skateistan: To Live and Skate Kabul" was released by director Orlando Von Einsiedel on the internet. In January 2011 a full-length documentary entitled "Skateistan: Four Wheels and a Board in Kabul" premiered at the Santa Barbara film festival in the USA . The full-length was directed by Kai Sehr and will be showing in various festivals worldwide throughout 2011.

External links

• http://skateistan.org/
• Skateistan: To Live And Skate Kabul - short movie following a group of young skateboarders in Afghanistan
• http://www.facebook.com/skateistan