After 6 weeks of building, Concrete Jungle Foundation and its partners have now completed the new skatepark and begun youth programmes at the new facility in Tameslouht, Morocco. The 740 sqm Fiers et Forts Skatepark was built on the grounds of Centre Fiers & Forts, an orphanage in the village located some 17 km south of Marrakech. THE SKATEROOM acted as the main international funding partner of the project.
The skatepark design was a collaboration between Concrete Jungle Foundation and Bog Skate Ramps. The construction itself took place between March 20th – April 30th, 2022. A dozen professional skatepark builders from across Europe, North, and South America worked voluntarily to see the project realized, while three local youth took part in Concrete Jungle Foundation’s Planting Seeds Apprenticeship programme, allowing them to learn the skatepark construction process from A to Z while earning a fair wage.
The resulting skatepark is nothing less than dazzling. As an ode to its cultural setting, the design incorporates traditional Moroccan elements such as the arched doorway and ornamented rails, and brandishes regional natural motifs including an olive leaf ramp and two large, buoyant palm trees. And with a triad of natural, black and red ochre surfaces, the concrete playground seamlessly blends with the color palette of its surroundings. This Oasis of Joy is nothing less than pristine.
Concrete Jungle Foundation’s flagship youth programme Edu-Skate began for the 38 children living at the orphanage on May 9, 2022. The programme’s innovative curriculum teaches skateboarding through the life-skills its practice induces – such as perseverance, creativity, awareness and courage – and so aims to empower and support children in their development into healthy adolescence and young adulthood. The programme has previously been implemented across communities in Peru, Angola, and Jamaica, as well as Austria, France, and Greece.
