jesse's blog

Denmark supports new facility in Mazar

Submitted by jesse on Mon, 11/28/2011 - 15:03

During his visit in Kabul this week, the Danish Minister for Development Cooperation, H.E. Christian Friis Bach, announced continued Danish support to Skateistan. Denmark will help fund an expansion of Skateistan with a second skating facility in Mazar-e-Sharif. Denmark has supported Skateistan with funding for running costs in 2011 and will continue to do so in 2012, including the Mazar facility.

The Danish Minister for Development Cooperation said: “Skateistan is an impressive project. It offers 400 young Afghans hope and possibilities for a better future. I am delighted that Denmark can help expanding the project with a second skating facility in Mazar.”

Young volunteer wins UNESCO drawing contest

Submitted by jesse on Wed, 11/23/2011 - 10:35

Skateistan students recently took part in a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) drawing contest to promote the importance of gender equality in education.

This semester at Skateistan our curriculum is all about the arts, so the drawing contest was a perfect opportunity to explore how we can express ourselves visually. Each class had discussions about equality in education before starting the drawings back in September.

The winners were recently announced on the UNESCO website and one of our very own students, Hamdullah, was selected as a contest winner alongside other young artists from as far away as Bhutan, Timor and Mongolia. His drawing will be published in the UNGEI 2012 calendar.

Skateistan partners with HDX Hydration Mix

Submitted by jesse on Sat, 11/12/2011 - 12:43

There is now a new way to support Skateistan, and enjoy some natural, eco-friendly hydration at the same time. We are proud to announce our partnership with HDX Hydration Mix through its Purchase with Purpose program, which passes on 25% of sales to select charities (link at end of post). The company has developed a sports performance hydration powder, made with natural ingredients, along with a range of durable refill bottles in which to mix the powder with water. As they say themselves, it's about “Refill. Not landfill.”

“Skateistan is excited to be involved with such an innovative drinks company that has proven its commitment to environmental protection, social responsibility and health,” said our Executive Director, Oliver Percovich. “HDX and Skateistan share these values, as well as the ambition to do things that no one else thought possible in our respective fields.”

One Minute with Fazila

Submitted by jesse on Wed, 11/02/2011 - 09:18

Every month, we give you a snap-shot of Skateistan's most remarkable moments and people. We call these clips Yak Daqa, which means "1 minute" in Dari. This month we caught up with Fazila, star of our feature-length documentary, Four Wheels & A Board in Kabul, and one of four young women who recently traveled to Italy to represent Skateistan at a youth leadership event. Past Yak Daqa videos are available on our Youtube channel. You can watch the new installment below and share the link to let others know about it too...

Many "firsts" for Skateistan girls in Italy

Submitted by jesse on Tue, 10/25/2011 - 11:48

Four girls from Skateistan were recently invited by the San Patrignano Community in Italy to a youth leadership event called We Free Week, from October 9-15. The Skateistan team was aged between 12 and 23 years old and included students, as well as our Education Coordinator, Benafsha Tasmim. It was an especially proud moment as the first Afghan female skateboarder, first female skate instructor and former street-working girl, Fazila, was one of those traveling to Italy to represent the project she helped create. Fazila, who appeared in the Skateistan documentary "A Board & Four Wheels in Kabul", was given movie star treatment by everyone throughout the week. 

Skateistan wins "Image of the Year"

Submitted by jesse on Thu, 10/13/2011 - 11:23

Skateistan is honoured to announce that one of our photos has been voted Peace and Sport "Image of the Year". The photo was taken by Jake Simkin on June 21 2011, during Go Skateboarding Day in Kabul. It shows just a few of the 200+ Afghan girls and boys who marked that day by taking to the city streets to celebrate their sport, their culture, and their future.

According to Peace and Sport, over 5,000 people voted to elect the winning image, which got nearly 60% of the votes. Joel Bouzou, President and Founder of Peace and Sport, announced: "This picture is particularly outstanding. It tells us better than a thousand words that sport is a universal language understood by children around the world, capable of building bridges for understanding and friendship between peoples..." He stated that this photo shows how skateboarding, "acts as a genuine vehicle for peace education, as well as encouraging gender equality and inter-cultural understanding in Afghanistan.”

Mazar funding signed off at German Embassy

Submitted by jesse on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 13:11

Skateistan's proposed new facility in Mazar-e-Sarif is now cleared for construction. On 29th September, Skateistan's founder, Oliver Percovich, visited the German Embassy in Kabul to sign a funding agreement for €400,000 with Thomas Zahneisen, Chargé d’affaires. Construction by long-time Skateistan partner, ACCL, is scheduled to begin before the end of this month.

Skateistan is currently seeking one or more major donors to fund the first two years of running costs at the new facility.

From Strength to Strength in Phnom Penh

Submitted by jesse on Wed, 10/05/2011 - 12:29

The Skateistan Cambodia project has been up and running since March of this year. They opened the skate facility at PSE (Pour un Sourire d'Enfant) NGO and weekly sessions quickly got underway. In June, Phnom Penh's new crop of skaters, along with the original team of volunteers, held events to celebrate Go Skateboarding Day; a first for Cambodia. Since then they've hosted Thai pro skater, Pit Potarach, and organised the first public demo for Skateistan Cambodia kids, and in the rain no less!

Help raise $5,000 for DIY concrete park

Submitted by jesse on Sat, 10/01/2011 - 13:21

Skateistan wants to add an outdoor skate area for its students in Kabul and needs your help. The plan is to construct a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) 350 sq meter concrete skatepark directly behind Skateistan's indoor skatepark facility. This will be the first concrete skatepark in Kabul. High fencing around the property will also allow the girls of Skateistan a rare opportunity to skate outside in privacy.

Donate on Crowdrise: http://www.crowdrise.com/diyskateparkkabul/fundraiser/skateistan (no need to register!)

Skateistan in action!

Submitted by jesse on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 15:29

It’s been a busy period for the media department here at Skateistan but we hope you’ll agree that it’s been worth it...

First, we look back to June 21st of this year, when Afghan youth took the streets of Kabul to celebrate Go Skateboarding Day, at the same time as thousands of other skaters around the world.

Next, we compiled a video of the highlights of Semester 6, which ran from June to August. So much happened during this time that it was impossible to include everything. Never fear though because the result is a high-speed look at our core activities and all sorts of other happy random moments that go into making a typical, action-packed semester here in Kabul.

If you like what you see, please take a minute to share these videos across your social media and to leave feedback. Skateistan is a grassroots project, which relies on the support of individuals like you to spread word of our exciting news and developments across the globe. You can also find Skateistan on Facebook and Twitter.