Volunteer Testimonials

Sophie Friedel
Germany

"I am Sophie Friedel, 26, from Germany. I studied Sustainable Product Design in Cornwall, UK, and after working in several offices with sports design related jobs I decided I had enough of the 9-5 mill and was the first International Volunteer to be involved with Skateistan from November 2009 until the end of May 2010. My time here coincided with the opening of the skate and educational facility, which was a special and exciting time. Lots of energy, new ideas and moving experiences are attached to my first stay in Kabul.
 
I had the opportunities to be fully involved in the project operations on the ground, meaning I was a key contributor to the school structure and curriculum planning,  supervised international volunteers and Afghan staff, liaised with Media and Project Donors, organized special events, mentored and taught up to 300 students a week, tracked the account expenditures and was the lead author of the Operational Manual of the facility. It was full on, but I loved the diversity of my tasks and responsibilities — especially that I was free to develop my ideas and make them become reality, which was a fulfilling experience and the best work in the world.
 
Kabul is an interesting and vibrant place full of binary opposites and uncertainties, still, I enjoy being here. As a woman I have to make several sacrifices that do make my life sometimes hard and I cannot live as free as back home, but on the other side I like the challenge of living a different lifestyle once in a while. Being here pushed my boundaries enormously and I never thought I would learn so much about myself in such a short period. Seeing that our work improves the lives of young girls and boys is super rewarding and I recently returned for another three months to be involved with this inspiring project."
 

Jake Simkin
Australia

"I came to Afghanistan to do a travel series called the Extreme Tourist and seem to be stuck in Afghanistan. I've been working with Skateistan for almost two years now, first as a photographer, then went to helping out bring the skateboards to the Mekroyan so the kids could skate, to now teaching art and media at the Skatepark and also using my media knowledge to help bring their videos, artwork, and most importantly their stories to the public.

You have to have a passion for educating kids, most of all, and to help inspire their creativity and build their confidence as young leaders. I've worked with refugee kids back home in Footscray, Australia, with media arts and photography as well as in developing countries along the way such as Banda Aceh (Indonesia), Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Somalia and the DRC.

Nothing is more satisfying then seeing a kid's eyes light up on what they can achieve in this world. Skateboarding was the key into our education but when a group of kids want to make their movie more than than they want to skate, it gives a powerful voice that they want to express. Here you are a part teacher, part skate teacher, part social worker and more. Whatever you don't know, you'll learn along the way. I've heard children's stories about the hardships of their lives, and Skateistan offers a safe environment to learn and see another possibility for their future.

I think I am still in this country for a while longer."
 

Erika Kinast
Canada

"Salamalakum! My name is Erika Kinast, I am 23 years young, and I am currently a six month volunteer in Kabul. I grew up in the praires of Alberta, Canada, but I have been living in Vancouver for the past five years going to school, working, sleeping, picking my nose, skateboarding, and riding motorbikes. After finishing my B.A in English Literature at Simon Fraser University, I spent time traveling in Europe and the Middle East before arriving in Afghanistan. 

Being in Kabul working for Skateistan has shown me that I still can’t kickflip consistently, that Afghan kids are the coolest kids in the world, and that being here means you learn far more than you could ever teach. My best experience as a volunteer has been having the opportunity to be an instructor and help develop classes at Skateistan. I suppose I knew there was much more to education than showing up and giving a lesson, but I had never had the opportunity to take on as much as I knew I was capable of. When I was offered the position as Education Coordinator I knew it would be a lot of hard work, and I am grateful that I have both an immense amount of freedom to develop my own ideas and a great deal of responsibility within the organization. Building relationships with and between students, developing curriculum, planning events, organizing and scheduling staff, and just doing whatever needs to be done to get by day-to-day has given me work experience that I don’t think I could have gained anywhere else.

I think the biggest challenge I have faced in Afghanistan is the lack of personal freedom I have in public as a woman. I didn’t think that not being able to go for a walk by myself, go street skating alone, or ride a bicycle when I felt like it would really effect me, but the loss of some my personal independence has really challenged me. Six months is a long time to sacrifice a lot of your personal freedom. My best advice would be to try your best to make sure you take time for yourself. I also think it is good to know that even if you think it won’t effect you, it probably will, and you should try and be mentally prepared for it, and make sure that you talk to other female volunteers about what you’re experiencing."
 

Zahra Said
Germany

"I spent my whole life being confronted with my Afghan heritage and there where many times when I really wanted to see this country. There were times when I thought I could never make it to Afghanistan and sometimes I really didn’t ever want to go.

I was feeling this way when I happened to see a Skateistan poster on my way to the train in my hometown Berlin. I was born and raised in Germany, but my life was still influenced by Afghan culture in a lot of ways. Amazed by the idea of Skateistan and curious about my parents' country I eventually changed my mind and made my way to Kabul. Being in Afghanistan has been overwhelming, but mostly in a positive way. It’s sometimes weird to think that I could have grown up in Afghanistan… I love both Germany and Afghanistan, but for the first time in my life I feel entirely sure about belonging somewhere.

As I grew up speaking Dari at home, I have had the incredible opportunity to be able to speak directly with Afghan people. I have especially enjoyed having the opportunity to teach children at Skateistan, and to hear and empathathize with their experiences and their lives. I have also been able to share my love of theatre with the children. Theatre is incredibly important to me because it is a safe space—an ideal place where I can do or be anything that I want. I think this was important to share with the kids at Skateistan because it is a safe place where they can imagine the world in a different way. This doesn’t mean they imagine a world without problems but that for a moment they can escape and have a release.

My best advice to other volunteers would be to try your hardest to keep your empathy. What I mean by this is that it is easy to become jaded and to think that all of the people are the same if you don’t take the time to really get to know them. There are so many people that will challenge your ideals both in positive and negative ways. If you keep too much distance between yourself and the people of this country I think you will become disconnected from why you came in the first place, and then it will be impossible for you to be happy here.

I’ve been volunteering for three months at Skateistan now, and I have really loved my time and work with the children and people here. It was my first time teaching drama and not being taught, and I’m grateful it happened in Afghanistan. It’s exciting to know drama works everywhere and without any pre-knowledge. I think it is human nature to want to take on many different roles. After my time at Skateistan I will go back to Germany to finish my BA in Culture Studies and Italian Philology. I hope I will have the opportunity to come back to Afghanistan soon and for a longer period of time."
 

Simon Letellier
France

"I'm a 29 year old French guy named Simon. After having spent eight years running my own publishing and communication company in France, I decided to come to Afghanistan. I arrived in in February 2010 and started to volunteer for Skateistan in April. Since the day I started to teach here, I knew that it would be an amazing experience, and because I believe that kids are victims of adults' mistakes I have always thought it was important to work and to help them to improve their lives. They are the future of Afghanistan and we have the opportunity to give them the keys to make it better.

Because I've loved skateboarding for fifteen years I also thought it was a good opportunity to make this love more useful by sharing with other people. In fact skateboarding is just a tool, and although the kids love it too, they learn more than just doing tricks. And when people ask me about my best experience with Skateistan I answer that it's every time the kids arrive at the skatepark, when they are running everywhere with a big smile because they know they will enjoy it. I also like it a lot when a kid thinks he is not able to drop in on a quarter and I help him to do it by explaining to him that he must trust me and that I'm sure he can do it. Watching them enjoying themselves in the skatepark is the most incredible thing I have seen in Afghanistan. The smiles on their faces are amazing and unforgettable. Skateistan offers them a moment while they have the opportunity to be real kids.

And that's what I like about being at Skateistan: it's more than skateboarding."
 

Rhianon Bader
Canada

"The first time I heard about Skateistan I could hardly believe that something so aligned with my passions existed in the world. Growing up in Calgary, Canada, I started skateboarding when I was 14. I became completely obsessed, and skateboarding led me to pursue many other things like photography and traveling. Through traveling I developed an interest in other cultures and languages, and had my first experiences volunteering with NGOs in developing countries. I studied Journalism in college, and Political Science/International Relations in university, with the idea that I would one day become a conflict reporter.

When I got invited to volunteer at Skateistan I was traveling in the Middle East with a friend and had been accepted to a Masters program with a scholarship for the fall, in Amsterdam. I dropped everything, told my family, and a few weeks later was leaving on a plane for Kabul. There have only been two or three times in my life when I really felt like I was exactly where I should be, and I never felt that more than I have being here at Skateistan. During my six month internship I've been teaching creative arts and multimedia in classroom, teaching skateboarding to over 100 girls every week, liaising with media from major TV and newspapers worldwide, writing donor reports and proposals, managing all online content, and working with Afghan staff/volunteers to pass on responsibilities and a sense of ownership.

The country, the people, the other volunteers and, of course, the kids are nothing less than inspiring, and there hasn't been a single day that I haven't learned something that I'll keep with me. It's cliche to say, but skateboarding changed my life: it gave me direction, creativity, self-confidence and a community. I feel so lucky to be able to pass these things on to some very appreciative little girls who have so few outlets in Afghanistan to be themselves, and to just be children. Through being here at Skateistan I've gotten to be a part of something unique among NGOs, but I've also been challenged daily with the obstacles and setbacks that are so frequent in a country that has recently been devastated by war. Skateistan is the most important, exciting and rewarding thing I've ever been a part of. There are hard days, for sure, and we work long days, six days a week, but if you're motivated and want to make a positive impact in the world then Skateistan is the best place you could be."
 

Siar Ahmadi
Afghanistan/Pakistan

"I am Siar Ahmadi, I was a volunteer at Skateistan for more than two months and I was helping in the IT section. Much of my computer knowledge is from the books that I have read so far. The purpose of my visits to Afghanistan, during vacations, is only for Skateistan. I wanted to stay there for as long as possible, working at Skateistan is much like working at your own home. There, we are like a family, everyone is so friendly that one never gets bored. I had enough fun there that fun outweighed work. I will never miss a chance to work with my Skateistan family once again!

During work days my intention was to stay at Skateistan for as long as I could. I got more than what I expected to get, I never ever thought that it was going to be so much fun working with Skateistan. I asked my friend about his organization, where he works (he is also an IT guy), I thought that he was going to give me positive feedback but he said "Ooh! My boss is killing me!" But here that is not the case, I really enjoyed my time with my Skateistan family.

 I am really inspired by the work of Oliver and his companions, who provided a beacon of knowledge and sport for the kids of Afghanistan and I am looking forward to implementing his work here in Pakistan.

If you are thinking of becoming a volunteer at Skateistan, then don't hesitate to make a positive decision. You will love being part of this family."
 

Patrick Ritchey
USA

"My name is Patrick Ritchey and I arrived in Kabul in March 2010 for a six-month placement from St Louis, Missouri, in the USA. I'm 38 years old and have been skating since the mid-80s. I began teaching outreach art classes to youth in 1994 in San Francisco and feel compelled to pass on the gift of confidence in self-expression through visual arts and skateboarding. My years of construction experience also prepared me for many projects at the Skateistan Park, the guesthouse and the Macroyan fountain. 

My time in Afghanistan was enjoyable and rewarding on so many levels. The students at Skateistan were the source of many a smile on my face. Their efforts in skate sessions and the progress they showed in the classroom continue to inspire me every day. The chance to travel outside of Kabul showed me some of the most beautiful scenery on the planet and life in Kabul was more fun than I'd ever imagined. I would advise any skater who has teaching ability or skills that are useful to Skateistan to volunteer and be ready to meet some of the most amazing people in the world and impact one of the best organizations. Keep 'em rollin', Skateistan."
 

Abdul Qudos
Afghanistan

"My friend told me about Skateistan last year, saying you can come volunteer for a half day and spend the other half day doing your university. I'm doing a bachelor in Business Administration right now at Kabul University, but I wanted to help kids and also help my country. When I came I was interviewed by Sophie, who was a volunteer and I thought she is here helping our country so why shouldn't I volunteer to help my own country, and make it better little by little?

The benefits have been building relationships with foreigners because you will see the positive parts of what they are doing here and how hard they are working. Also, I didn't study computers at all before I came here and my english was weak before. I learned patience—before I didn't have that, if I saw someone doing something wrong I would react badly. While at Skateistan I learned how to be hardworking and the benefit of being hardworking, for example if you work hard you can get bonuses and you get respect from the people you work with.

The atmosphere here is friendly, fun, there's always something new happening, especially when there are new volunteers. It's a place where you will get experience and learn a lot of things, and also you will help the kids."