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8
ustralians Oliver Percovich, Travis Beard and
Sharna Nolan walked through the streets
of Kabul, skateboards in hand. Traveling
as photographers and adventurists, the
trio set out to see how war had affected
Afghanistan. Children watched on as the three stopped to
skateboard on the streets of Kabul. By the time Ollie grabbed
knee pads and helmets out of his backpack, the children were
already fearlessly begging to try. Skateistan was instantly
born.
Rolling proud through the streets of Kabul picking
up passers-by as it went, Skateistan gained speed.
Not only did it become Afghanistan’s first skate
school, it is the world’s first co-educational skate
school and its only gaining momentum.
By taking time to help the Afghani children, Skateistan
has forged a unique trust between the foreigners
and the Afghani people.
“Kabul’s youth are impoverished, marginalized and
lack opportunities for education and recreation,”
states Ollie Percovich, Skateistan’s project manager
in his Skate school proposal.
Community fatigue leaves youth at high risk for
induction in the narcotics or arms industry or joining
insurgent and terrorists’ organizations.
But the children who attend Skateistan’s skate
programs seem unscathed. By the time the 4
O’clock session starts, Ollie already has so many
children lined up to skateboard that he’s progressed
to the next step; finding sponsors to provide the
program with more boards.
ROJECTP Written by: Erin Chatelain
ASKATEISTAN
9Betty
“The ideas behind the project evolved with
our frustration with the international aid effort in
Afghanistan,” Ollie writes. After almost 10 years of
international assistance the roads are in shocking
conditions and people still have unreliable 24-hour
electricity in the capital city.
Health care and education is widely inaccessible
and rent has inflated 200 times since 2001, due to
presence of foreign organizations.
With media attention from 80 news outlets in over 10 different
countries Skateistan is getting its fair share of the fame, which
inevitably comes with some criticism. Saturday Night Live’s
news update segment commented sarcastically that Kabul will
finally find peace now because a skateboard program was in
progress.
Some days the children might see a suicide bomber or burned
car pill-ups, but Kabul is fairly stable. It’s possible for a girl in
Kabul to feel relatively undamaged by the war due to the tens
of thousands oforeign troops warding off Taliban influence, in
Kabul.
During the days the Taliban reign, girls were not
allowed to play outside, climb a fence or fly a kite.
Today, Kabul’s young girls power passed the boys
on borrowed decks, gleaming with confidence.
The kids of the streets show up every day at 6am
and 4pm to skate. Through sharing boards, every
child that shows up is able to enjoy the pleasures
of being young, safe and happy. And many show
up, and are showing up still, being the reason
behind the project’s success.
Skateistan forged
a unique trust. ”“
KATEISTAN
10
But, all-in-all, the wheels of this project roll smoothly because it
has merit, and because smaller grassroots programs often show
substantial measurable benefits comparable to larger projects
relying on excessive administrations costs and inflexible
budgets.
Also, Skateistan chose skateboarding as its passage
because most Afghan sports are circled around violence
and competition. Riding needs minimal supervision and
resources, and can be done anywhere with a smooth
surface.
Many organizations are funded by a government dependant
on foreign aid and money spent usually doesn’t make a
difference to the average person. Skateistan is not about
money interactions, it’s about personal interaction and building
relationships.
“These relationships and trust networks are needed to build the
country just as much as the injections of foreign aid,” explains Ollie.
Like a father, Ollie worries that the presence of weapons sends
a message to the children that guns and warfare are essential in
gaining influence in society.
Currently, Kabul hosts a population of over 4 million people,
70 % of whom are children. Youth become vulnerable to
homelessness and resort to playing in the dangers of mined
areas, on heavy traffic roadsides or in abandoned
buildings.
Today, the plan to accommodate recreation to
the many youth in Kabul, and those returning
from Pakistan and Iran involves getting more
skateboards. Skateistan plans to expand and
build skate parks all over Afghanistan, and a
handover and exit strategy with teacher training
programs is the end goal for Skateistan’s
Youth development Program. Its success
relies on the assistance of volunteers and
funding.
“What we can achieve depends on levels of
funding and the skills of volunteers that we
can attract to the project,” says Ollie, who has
been loyally volunteering his time since it all
began.
Currently raising money to build a skate school
in a designated safe zone and ship more skating
supplies to the crowded country, Ollie is working
around the eastern clock. From embassies, to the
media, Skateistan is always raising community
and corporate interest and intriguing
donors.
“A lot of people have offered to donate skateboards but
in most cases a $5 donation would also be useful to us,”
stresses Ollie. Volunteering has also taken full swing with
international high profile faces showing up to skate their turn at
Skateistan.
11Betty
Visiting the website www.Skateistan.org, becoming a volunteer
or buying a t-shirt helps provide a positive liaison between
foreigners by pushing the children of Afghanistan to continue
to roll successfully.
For more information, to buy stickers, t-shirts or
to make a donation, please check out:
www.skateistan.org