Welcome to Bamyan! | Skateistan

HUGE NEWS for Skateistan fans: we have started work on our fifth Skate School in Bamyan, Afghanistan!

We’re beyond stoked to let you know that work on our fifth Skate School is officially underway. Ground was broken at our incredible location in Bamyan, Central Afghanistan in late April and work will soon begin on the construction of the Skate School, which will be our third in Afghanistan. The breaking ground ceremony was attended by H.E Governor Zuhair of Bamyan Province, the Mayor of Bamyan City, the Head of the Department of Education in Bamyan and our own Skateistan Afghanistan Board Member, Fraidoon Ilham.

Up to 800 children per week will soon be able to enjoy a safe space, where they can skate, play and learn. Skateistan Bamyan will include classrooms and a state-of-the-art skatepark where hundreds of children can shred every single day!

We started to run programs in Bamyan late last year in order to introduce Skateistan and skateboarding to the city. This is the same model we followed in South Africa, which allows us to start building up relationships in the community, as well as offering children the chance to take part, before the construction is finished. Of course, right now those programs are paused due to the global pandemic, but by February this year we had around 300 children skateboarding each week. We can’t wait to get them back on their boards.

Bamyan is an incredible next step for us. It’s a city of around 100,000 people and has always been historically significant as it stands on the crossroads of the old silk routes. Now a cultural center for Afghanistan, it’s the perfect fit for our unique blend of sports and creative, arts-based education.

When we started running programs there, we asked our future students what their ideal Skate School would look like and they came up with some amazing ideas. These have formed part of our discussions with the architects on the final design.

“We’re incredibly excited to be extending the scope and reach of Skateistan’s activities in Afghanistan. This is the next step in the strategic development and expansion of Skateistan globally and we’re delighted that we’ll soon be offering Skateistan’s unique blend of skateboarding and creative education to hundreds more of the world’s most vulnerable children.”

Oliver Percovich

Founder and Executive Director, Skateistan

We’re especially grateful to the German Federal Foreign Office, who are generously funding the build of the Skate School. Big thanks also to The Skateroom, our long-term partner, who are supporting the build of the skatepark. The kids of Bamyan are going to be so stoked!

Skateistan needs your support to keep providing safe spaces and opportunities for children to fulfil their potential. If you're in a financial position to do so, please consider making a donation to Skateistan today.

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