Young volunteer wins UNESCO drawing contest

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.

According to UNGEI, "More than 3,000 drawings were received from 24 countries illustrating how gender equality in education benefits everyone. The aim of the contest and of the calendar is to raise public awareness on regional issues of gender equality in education, and to paint a picture of the benefits reaped from gender equality in education for both girls and boys."

Hamdullah first came to Skateistan as a student, but has since become a volunteer, helping to teach and translate in workshops. He is also one of the star students in our advanced film-making classes. Keep it up Hamdullah, we are all proud of you!

Check out all the winning drawings here.