Skateboarding is intrinsically about leaving your mark on the world, whether that’s the scuff on a marble tile, the chink in a rail or spot of blood at the foot of a stair set, we cannot deny that we are always in contact with our world when we skate. This is why we love the culture of the sport though, right? Because we matter, and we make a difference to our environment.
Some people take that philosophy to heart, and they realise that this fundamental truth of skateboarding can go further than the cosmetic marks we leave, that power can be harnessed for a greater good – skateboarding can make a real difference to hearts and minds of people.
Skateistan is one such body, and they have realised that skateboarding can be used to empower those who are nowhere near as exposed to the opportunities that many of us take for granted. In one of the most interesting interviews we’ve ever done, we spoke to Skateistan’s founder and executive director Oliver Percovich and Ayanda Mnyandu the director of operations in South Africa about the NPO, the philosophy and the brand new Skate School in Johannesburg.
Guys, Skateistan aims to connect vulnerable youth with education through skateboarding, and it has become one of the most impressive social projects in skate culture, where did the idea come from and how did it become a reality?
Oliver: I was in Kabul because my girlfriend got a job there and I had my skateboard with me and started skating with the streetworking kids. Children under the age of 15 make up half the population in Afghanistan. I didnt see others interacting with kids at all and I thought that skateboarding could be a good way to connect with them. The skateboard sessions were really popular and it all grew from there to building a “Skate School” in Kabul. The kids all wanted to go to school so I thought why not make a school that is fun and also teaches you stuff that you need to participate in a globalised economy.
By the way, thank you very much for saying that it is one of the most impressive projects. Its very humbling.
This phrase skateboarding as a tool of empowerment is one which appears on your website. What do you feel it is about skating that means it can serve that purpose?
Everyone falls off a skateboard the same way. It doesn’t matter where you come from or what your background is. You have to fight with yourself to get better at skateboarding and when you win, it feels great. It builds your confidence and I think it can be a really important tool for empowerment for those that are really marginalised in society. Skateboarding also connects you to an incredible community and that community can support you also.
That’s a great insight, and it’s totally true. I’ve found that everyone who skates speaks the same language. Another point of importance for skateistan it seems is how many of those you work with are girls. Tell us why that’s significant?
Girls have less opportunities than boys in most countries in the world. In areas of conflict they are twice as likely as boys to not go to school. Womens empowerment is in the interests of all societies. When women contribute equally everyone gains. A bird can’t fly with one wing.
It’s important to see this in areas of hardship because it’s rare enough that girls get involved with skating in Uk, how can we improve that do you think?
The easiest way is to have girls only skate sessions. No women enjoy going to a skate park only to have a boy half their age go and do the same trick as they just did in the same spot. Lots of young boys are jerks!
“EVERYONE FALLS OFF A SKATEBOARD THE SAME WAY.
IT DOESN’T MATTER WHERE YOU COME FROM”
Now skateistan has made the leap over to South Africa. Once again, how did that come about and what struggles did you face translating the Afghanistan model to Johannesburg?
The biggest difference is that skateboarding already existed in South Africa. There is a really healthy skate scene in South Africa that has been going for quite some time. In Afghanistan, we introduced it as an activity for girls and the community accepted it as that. Because skateboarding is already predominately a male thing, getting girls to try it out in South Africa is harder. We came to South Africa because we were really interested in bringing Skateistan to the African continent and we had a great bunch of people that wanted to help us do just that.
Tell us a bit about the Troyeville Bowl, and how that fit into the SA project?
I think that would be better answered by Ayanda.
Ayanda: Well, Troyeville bowl was the first location Skateistan did outreach sessions in South Africa…also, Troyeville already had a culture of skateboarding as the bowl has been there for more than 14 years…although Skateistan probably wasn’t sure of the skate culture in the area before arriving, it kind of worked out that a skateboarding NPO would end up running its first outreach sessions in South Africa in Troyeville. Troyeville has a lot of immigrants and also has a significant refugee population, many of the children also aren’t exposed to too many opportunities outside of what they get in the area, so having Skateistan there ties in with the organisation’s goals and mission.
So was the decision to open a skate school in Johannesburg the result of the success in Troyeville?
I think Troyeville certainly played a role in the decision, but wasn’t the sole reason for setting up in Johannesburg…after doing some research and asking around, the team on the ground at the time, Brandon (Operations Director), Talia (Programmes Director) and Oliver, realised that there was already a fair amount of NPOs serving communities outside of the city centre and fewer serving children from the inner city…this coupled by the partnership Skateistan formed with another NGO in the city, Let’s Go Jozi Youth Drop-in Centre probably had a lot to do with the idea of keeping Skateistan in the inner city Johannesburg…
The location in New Doornfontein is right next to a newly developing/regentrified area of inner city Johannesburg, Maboneng, which attracts mostly middle-to-high income earners; having Skateistan right next to this area will provide many children from low-income backgrounds with opportunities that they may have otherwise not been exposed to.
So are you expecting children of all economic backgrounds to mix in this skate school as a result of its location?
That’s part of the idea….obviously the organisation will give priority to youth most at-need, but yes, having children from different backgrounds mixing at the skate school will certainly benefit both groups as they can each learn a lot from each other…
Of course, so this skate school is it taking up residency somewhere or is it having its own build?
Skateistan was able to secure some land from the property developers in the area who initially offered the organization a 20-year rent free lease to build the skate school…after thinking about, Skateistan realised that it might just be a good idea to purchase the land itself and have full control of what happens on it…so to answer your question, Skateistan has it’s own building and skatepark where the organization will operate out of. By the way, the building is made from containers and looks pretty awesome…
Wow that’s a great way of keeping the grass routes vibe through and through. So where are you at with construction currently?
The containers have all been installed and the guys are wrapping up the inside i.e. cleaning floors, adding light fixtures, finishing railings on the stairs etc…and the skatepark itself should be done by this weekend…we’re expecting to start lessons in the facility from August.
Fantastic, and what do you think is the most important thing about this whole project? And you can interpret that question however you like.
For me, the are two aspects that I feel are key…
1 – the self-belief and confidence we install in the students, especially the young girls, is really what’ll make the most difference in their lives; the self-belief and confidence they gain in the skatepark and classroom can translate to other areas of their lives where they may feel vulnerable or not good enough i.e. if I can learn how to skate although I thought it’s something I would never be able to do, then, what else can I do.
2 – the empowerment tools we give to the children is also important, while no.1 above speaks to more tacit benefits, no.2 speaks to practical skills and tools we want to provide to the students so that when they leave Skateistan, they have enough skills to help them move forward in their lives…
“THE BUILDING IS MADE FROM CONTAINERS AND LOOKS PRETTY AWESOME…”
Combining self-belief with tangible skills will hopefully empower the children to create futures that they want and not those that their circumstances will dictate.
Who would you like to thank and what’s next for skateistan? Is there anything you can tell us about the future of the enterprise?
Oliver: I’d like to thank all the really wonderful people in skateboarding that have helped Skateistan change the lives of so many kids, especially Jamie Thomas, Jim Thiebaud and Tony Hawk. You guys are inspirational. I would also like to thank the Skateroom for supporting our brand new Skate School in Johannesburg. In terms of whats next, we would like to share the knowledge that we have gained to other skateboard based projects that are popping up all over the world so that united we can do even more.
Thanks so much Skateistan, it’s been an honour.
Keep pushing…
From 1st July, Skateistan launched their annual Citizens of Skateistan drive which is a fundraiser to help maintain the amazing work that the NPO does with underprivileged children and children in developing countries. This year their goal is to grow their monthly support base and expand the Skateistan community.
To find out more about Skateistan, Skateistan South Africa or to donate to their organisation visit one of the links below.
[Top photo: ©Hamdullah Hamdard-Kabul]
