Kabul

Back on Board: Meet Basmina

jess — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 13:28:08 +0000

Back on Board: Meet Basmina jess Mon, 06/07/2021 - 15:28

Mon, 06/07/2021 - 12:00

Our Back on Board campaign aims to raise $125,000 to support our students as they return to Skate School. Meet Basmina, a student who learned lots about herself during lockdown.

Basmina* is 13 and because of conflict, she had to flee her hometown. She is one of thousands of internally displaced children who are trying to rebuild their lives.

Life has not been easy for Basmina or her family. Her father is a soldier and has to be away for six month periods. Her mother stays at home to look after the family, which is large - Basmina has four sisters and four brothers and they live together with her uncle’s family. There is never enough money.

Basmina started coming to Skateistan in 2019. This was totally new for her - she had never been to school before. In her hometown, many girls are out of school and some members of her family and community have put pressure on Basmina to quit school. But her mother is adamant that her daughter should have a chance at an education. She herself did not go to school and she can’t read or write. She is determined that her children will have a brighter future. So when Basmina started coming to Skateistan, she joined the Back-to-School program, which is for children who are not in school. Five days a week, they follow the national curriculum and they are then enrolled in public school once they have caught up.

When Basmina first came to Skateistan, she was really nervous and she had tons of questions in her mind. She was worried because at 11, she was older than many of the students in her class. Her educators reassured her that age doesn’t matter and that you’re never too old to start learning.

Over the next few months, Basmina noticed a change in herself. She started to feel more confident and even began to dream of her future. She wants to be a doctor and she no longer felt like that would be impossible for her. According to her educators, she is a hardworking, bright, articulate and kind girl.

“She made great progress in terms of setting goals for herself and leadership. She soon proved herself as one of the best students in the Back-to-School program as well as being a member of the Youth Leadership classes. Many times she talked to her educators about becoming a volunteer at Skateistan.”

Fatima

Educator

And then the lockdown came. In March 2020, all Skateistan Skate Schools had to close for in-person classes due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This was the first time since we started running our work that we had suspended programs indefinitely. For children like Basmina, this was really hard to take.

“When I found out that skateistan is being closed because of the outbreak of Covid-19, I felt very sad because I feel comfortable and safe when I am amongst my friends and educators at Skateistan. It was very boring for me to stay at home all day long and I could not do any sport, I wanted to be back at Skateistan soon again. I like skateboarding and cycling. I also missed my friends and educators.”

Basmina

The team at Skateistan got to work straight away to offer support and remote programs to our students. This included distributing food, hygiene supplies and learning materials as well as organizing activities for students to do at home. Although it wasn’t the same experience as being together with her friends, Basmina used the time to learn more about herself.

"I had time to think of why I want to be at Skateistan and why I want to study my lessons. I decided that nothing should stop me from achieving my goals. I learnt that even from home I can learn, no matter what. I found out nothing, including the pandemic, war, violation and discrimination can stop girls from education, because I could see how hard my educators were trying to reach out to us during the pandemic.”

Basmina

In September last year, the Skate School reopened for students. Staff take care to keep educating students about hygiene and infection and they follow the regulations set out in the Skate Schools. Basmina has now been enrolled in public school, following her successful graduation from the Back-to-School program at Skateistan.

Now, Basmina is studying in Grade 6 and she is happy that she finally joined the formal education in a hub school. She actively takes part in her class, does her homework and is present in the class every day. Her love for skateboarding has not diminished. Basmina is still coming to Skateistan for the Skate and Create program and she continues to be a role model for other students. We can’t wait to see what sort of future Basmina will build for herself, now that she is Back on Board.

Skateistan is running a fundraising campaign to support students as they return to Skate School after lockdown restrictions. If you want to help more children like Basmina get Back on Board, please consider donating to Skateistan today.

*Basmina’s name has been changed in accordance with Skateistan’s Child Protection Policy.

Yes

Curriculum update: Managing anger

jess — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 13:35:33 +0000

Curriculum update: Managing anger jess Mon, 01/25/2021 - 14:35

Mon, 01/25/2021 - 12:00

As part of our Skate and Create program, we aim to teach children skills which are useful in the rest of their lives. Some of these are practical skills, and others are so-called softer skills, such as anger management.

As part of our Skate and Create program, we aim to teach children skills which are useful in the rest of their lives. Some of these are practical skills, such as understanding electricity, using computers and how to have a balanced diet. And others are so-called ‘softer’ skills, which help out students navigate a path through life. One of these skills is anger management. Everyone has to deal with anger at some point, regardless of their circumstances. But many of our students are growing up in very challenging situations, where they may find themselves feeling like they can’t control their anger.

Our students in Afghanistan have to face the realities of conflict every day. Many of them have friends or family members who have been killed or injured in the fighting, or in the frequent attacks that occur in the major cities. Things that many of us take for granted, like access to education or freedom to choose a career, are unavailable to many young people in Afghanistan. This can lead to feelings of powerlessness, frustration and unhealthy levels of anger.

Recently there’s been some really interesting research about the mental health benefits of skateboarding. Any skateboarder can tell you that skating can feel meditative and even therapeutic. The focus on a trick, combined with the energy release from the physical activity, provides an endorphin rush and helps to regulate the mind. This is something we see on a daily basis in our students.

There are several ways we try to support our students to cope with difficult experiences. Our Back-to-School students in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif all have access to a Dari-speaking counsellor, who can help them to process adverse events in their lives. In Mazar-e-Sharif we also have a sensory room, where children can take time out of their schedules, relax and explore their feelings in a safe space. We provide training for our staff so they can connect with our students with empathy and we’ll soon have a Child Protection Officer in Afghanistan who will coordinate support and counselling for students. And we cover skills such as anger management in our regular lessons.

Recently the Skate and Create students in Kabul followed this lesson plan. They discussed what anger is and how it feels when we get angry. They demonstrated how they look when they get angry and they spent time describing the different sensations that come with this emotion: getting hotter, feeling short of breath, noticing an increase in heart rate. Understanding these signs is a key part of learning how to manage anger and respond appropriately to difficult situations. Then students did a little science experiment to represent how anger feels. They mixed vinegar and baking soda (you might remember this from lessons on volcanoes?!) and watched the mixture bubble up and expand. Then they added lemon juice to the mix, which calms the reaction down. They then explored what the lemon juice might represent in their lives. Is it someone else, who helps them to calm down? Is it a voice in their own heads that controls their reaction? Maybe it’s an activity that helps them to de-stress.

In the same lesson in Mazar-e-Sharif, students took a soft ball and imagined putting all their anger inside it. Then they drew all their energy and strength together and hurled that ball across the skatepark, showing that we can choose to ‘let go’ and separate our actions from our emotions.

“Before I was upset with small issues but when I understood about anger management now I can easily deal with these issues.”

Male student

Mazar-e-Sharif

The combination of the creative lesson and the freedom of skateboarding can be a powerful remedy for students who are struggling with complex emotions. And they know that within the walls of Skateistan, they are free to express themselves and own their emotions. We can’t change the challenges that our students face. But we can help them to navigate these situations and to cope with the world around them.

If you believe in the work we do to provide safe spaces and empower children, please consider becoming a Citizen of Skateistan today.

Yes

Good news for girls: Skateistan and Be That Girl Foundation are teaming up!

jess — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 09:49:05 +0000

Good news for girls: Skateistan and Be That Girl Foundation are teaming up! jess Tue, 01/12/2021 - 10:49

Tue, 01/19/2021 - 12:00

The wheels are in motion: Skateistan and Be That Girl Foundation are teaming up to inspire and empower ever more girls to dare to determine their own future! Find out more about this new partnership and what it will mean for girls at Skateistan.

The wheels are in motion: Skateistan and Be That Girl Foundation are teaming up to inspire and empower ever more girls to dare to determine their own future! From day one at Skateistan, girls’ empowerment has been a priority. We aim for 50% girls’ participation in all our programs and every day, we aim to show girls that they can be whatever they dream of being. So we were incredibly excited recently to sign a partnership agreement with Be That Girl Foundation, whose ideas and values align with ours so closely. Be That Girl Foundation is all about allowing girls to dare to follow their dreams, and they have pledged to support us with funding for our programs for the next five years! We’ll use that funding to run and expand our existing programs and also to look into new and innovative ways that we can reach more girls who need our support.

In this post, we dig a little deeper into the partnership with the founders of our two organizations; Oliver Percovich (Skateistan) and Cornelia Gantner (Be That Girl Foundation).

How did this partnership come about?

Cornelia: Like so often, it was a series of coincidences: Although Skateistan is very well known for its work with girls, we only got to know about it through our office manager Nina who is a friend of Ollie’s. And at the same time as my film That Girl was launched at the Zurich Film Festival in September, Ollie happened to be hiking in the Swiss mountains - so I invited him to the world premiere. I still don’t know how he managed to organize a tux and swap his hiking boots for dress shoes with such little notice, but I felt this was a great example of Ollie’s legendary adaptability - and hence a great start into our partnership!

Ollie: And I was very impressed by Cornelia’s film: Given our experience with movies (Skateistan was the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you’re a girl)), I instantly felt that we shared a common cause and values which we could build upon for the benefit of girls around the world.

Why is this partnership so exciting for Skateistan?

Ollie: Firstly this represents a really significant investment in our programs and will enable us to keep doing our work which is empowering girls around the world. And we’re also really excited that it will enable us to expand, innovate and test new ideas. We’re always looking for ways to innovate but it can be really challenging to find funders who are willing to take risks.

And how about from the other side? What made Skateistan appealing to Be That Girl Foundation?

Cornelia: Because it’s cool! ...in fact, that’s actually true: the Skateistan approach works because skateboarding is cool, so girls and boys work very hard to make it happen - and that sense of achievement then gives them the confidence to tackle their next goals. This ties in very well with the BTG Foundation Board’s belief that the key to self-determination lies in encouraging women and girls to choose their very own path and dare to - pardon the pun - do that first “ollie” in their lives ;-).

What Skateistan programs will Be That Girl Foundation support?

Ollie: First of all, I’m glad to announce that our partnership is for the long-term: we were able to sign an agreement covering the next five years which provides us with some security in an increasingly volatile world. As we agreed with Cornelia, one part of BTG’s yearly donation will contribute to covering Skateistan’s running costs which is essential for “keeping the lights on.” This stability is a really important aspect of what Skateistan represents in the lives of many of our students; a safe space where they know they will be looked after, encouraged and supported.

Cornelia: Speaking of lights: my husband and I are entrepreneurs, so in addition to supporting Skateistan’s ongoing programs, I also wanted to help Skateistan to venture out “where no NGO has gone before” - and turn on some more lights for girls in places which are difficult to reach. So the majority of our support will go towards a brand new direction, a kind of expansion kit which will allow Skateistan to quickly roll out programs in places like refugee camps or war zones where their support is needed most!

What are your expectations for the partnership going forward?

Cornelia: Our expectations are high because we got off to a great start: Ollie’s and my vision and values are a great fit, now it is all about creating reach and impact: If we manage to positively touch the lives of ever more girls in difficult to reach places in the years to come, then I will consider our partnership a great success. In my film “That Girl”, the protagonist Gladys challenges girls to “dream wildly” - that’s what Ollie and I are doing and I am confident it will work out!

Ollie: We’ve begun a really positive chapter. Now we’re excited to keep building this relationship and take things to really exciting places in the future. At the heart of everything we do is to create opportunities for our students, especially girls. This kind of stable but flexible partnership gives us a unique chance to really push our own boundaries and rise to the challenge of what today’s girls need.

We’ll keep you updated on how our partnership develops and the exciting new directions we can take because of the support from Be That Girl Foundation.

Yes

Skateistan Alumni: Hosai's story

jess — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 15:14:15 +0000

Skateistan Alumni: Hosai's story jess Tue, 12/15/2020 - 16:14

Fri, 01/01/2021 - 12:00

Hosai spoke to Fatima and Zahra

We are excited to share this story of a former student in Kabul. The Alumni Network is a new project, which connects our former students with each other, shares opportunities and celebrates their success.

Alumni
Kabul

In a busy waiting room in a Kabul hospital, Fatima hears her name being called. She follows the young nurse into a small room, ready to have her blood tested. She sees the nurse hesitate for a second as she looks from the name on the chart to the woman in front of her. “Fatima jan?” the nurse asks, using the term for respect and affection in Afghanistan. She meets the eyes of the older woman. “You were my teacher.”

Seven years ago, Hosai* walked through the doors of Skateistan in Kabul. She was unsure what to expect.

“I had never had the chance to go to school. I had two brothers and eight sisters and we did not have enough money for us all to go to school. I had never played any sports, and I had no idea what skateboarding was.”

Hosai

At the door, she was welcomed by Fatima, an educator at Skateistan Kabul who works closely with the community. Fatima focuses on bringing children who are out of school to Skateistan so they can attend the Back-to-School program and get a second chance at their education. A few weeks before, Fatima had been in Hosai’s neighborhood, conducting a survey of out-of-school children.

“I saw her in the street in an area of Kabul playing with other girls. She was wearing the traditional cultural clothes of her ethnicity, with a round and wide skirt. I talked to families and her mother asked me to please register her daughter at Skateistan.”

Fatima

Hosai was worried that the teachers would be cruel, but Fatima made her feel happy straight away. They looked around the Skate School and filed into the classroom - the first classroom that Hosai had ever been in.

“When she came to Skateistan, she was very shy and she was not able to talk to educators and her classmates, but after spending time with us, she became more social and self-confident.”

Fatima

Over the next eleven months, Hosai learned to read and write. Attending Skate School five days a week, she gradually built up both her skills and her confidence.

“I learned how to write and read in Back-to-School class. That time in my life helped me to be very good in my lessons at school and I have learned how to set goals for myself and how to behave in different places with different people.”

At the end of the program, Hosai and her friends graduated, having passed grade 3 of the Afghan curriculum. Fatima helped each one of them to enroll into public school. Hosai took what she had learned and built on this foundation, completing primary school and then graduating from high school. She still came to Skateistan each week, enjoying skateboarding and the creative education aspects of the Skate and Create program. She also took part in other sports, such as soccer and climbing, which she loved.

Hosai then started her training to be a nurse and midwife. She works and studies at the same time, continuing to build up her skills and expertise. A child who had never stepped inside a school until she was ten years old is now a qualified, independent woman who is building a future for herself.

“I became a nurse because it was my favorite field and also it helps me to help other people, especially women. The best thing about being a nurse is helping people and visiting a lot of different people.”

Hosai’s road has not been easy. For children from low-income backgrounds, there is often pressure to leave school early in order to work. But some of the lessons Hosai learned at Skateistan have stayed with her.

“There are challenges of course; working as a woman in Afghanistan is always difficult. I faced a lot of economical and social obstacles. But at the Skate School, I learned how to make decisions, be a leader for others and how to solve problems.”

Back in the hospital room, the two women share stories. Hosai asks about the team at Skateistan and is happy to know that many of the educators she remembers are still working there.

“When I saw Fatima in the hospital, I was very happy that after years I was able to see my teacher. I was so proud, as all my success was because of Skateistan and my teacher. I told her loudly, ‘Dear teacher thank you so much for your support. I am what I am now because of you.’ Everyone who was there heard it, but I was not ashamed but proud.”

“Sometimes I feel like if I didn’t come to Skateistan, I would not be able to be the person who I am now. I wouldn’t have been able to meet such wonderful people like Skateistan’s educators and my classmates. I would be a housewife and waiting for some man to marry me and support me economically and socially. But now I am independent and I have chosen my life partner myself. I am working in two provinces both as a nurse and a midwife and I am helping women, but without Skateistan I would not be able to do these things.”

Hosai

Skateistan's programs aim to have long-term impact in the lives of our students, helping them to better prepare for adulthood. If you'd like to support us to help young people build a better life for themselves, please consider making a donation today.

If you're a former student of Skateistan and you'd like to join the Alumni Network, please email alumni@skateistan.org.

*Hosai's name has been changed.

Yes

Some moments to celebrate from Kabul

jess — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 10:52:54 +0000

Some moments to celebrate from Kabul jess Tue, 11/03/2020 - 11:52

Tue, 11/03/2020 - 12:00

2020 has been a challenging year for everyone, and that's especially true for Kabul, Afghanistan. However, there have been some moments to celebrate lately.

Kabul

2020 has been a challenging year for many reasons, not least in Kabul, Afghanistan. For the first time since we opened our very first Skate School, we had to suspend in-person programs in Kabul, due to Covid-19. Recent weeks have seen a number of attacks in the city, and we’re reminded of the challenge for our staff and students there to stay positive and hopeful for the future.

In the midst of this, we have had some things to celebrate, and these moments take on a special significance during harder times. Classes restarted in Kabul in September and our staff have been so happy to welcome students back to the Skate School. Even though we ran remote programs all through the lockdown, there’s no substitute for being around kind educators and awesome friends. And of course, there’s nothing like the feeling of skateboarding again!

October 5 was International Teacher’s Day and our staff in Kabul celebrated in time-honored fashion: with cake! This was a chance for all our non-teaching staff to celebrate and recognize the amazing difference that our educators make in the lives of our students. We wouldn’t be Skateistan without you!

And maybe best of all, last week our staff and students in Kabul celebrated their 11th anniversary. It’s amazing to think that it was 11 years ago that Skateistan, a small, crazy idea that was born on the streets of Kabul, opened the doors to the largest indoor sports facility in Afghanistan. There have been many challenges since then, but we’re so proud to still be providing that same safe space in a city that often feels dangerous. We’re stoked to have our students back in the Skate School, showing their parents and their community their amazing skills and courage. 2020 has been tough, but we’ll remember it for the things we learned and the resilience and determination of our staff and students to keep going and keep shredding!

If you'd like to help us continue to provide safe, fun and educational spaces in locations like Kabul, please consider making a donation today.

Yes

What Skateistan learned about: running remote programs during a global pandemic

alyssa — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 12:54:35 +0000

What Skateistan learned about: running remote programs during a global pandemic alyssa Mon, 09/21/2020 - 14:54

Mon, 09/21/2020 - 12:00

In our series ‘What Skateistan learned about’, we share stories, successes and challenges from the perspective of a non-profit organization operating in Afghanistan, South Africa and Cambodia.

As an international organization that empowers children through skateboarding and education all over the world, Covid-19 brought a whole new set of challenges to delivering programs for our students in each location. We wrote about a lot of these challenges in our post ‘Skateistan Skate Schools Respond To Covid-19’, and detailed how each Skate School has adapted to a new reality over the last few months.

To ensure learning continues for students in their homes, our teams in each location taught lesson plans over the phone, or via WhatsApp. Students were so creative with their homework, and sent it in via WhatsApp to their educators. The Covid-19 realities are different in each location, and it is difficult to reach all Skateistan students remotely as many don’t have internet access.

In South Africa, the long lockdown meant that many parents couldn’t work and this caused food insecurity. Our team in Johannesburg responded by distributing food parcels and sanitary items for girls. In Afghanistan, teams were really worried about the number of children in Internally Displaced People’s camps who were missing out on their education. So they trained up some adults in the camps who could run classes during the lockdown. These classes still had to adhere to social distancing guidelines, but meant that those children were not as isolated as they would have been, especially as most in the camps don’t have internet access. You can read more about that here. In Cambodia, many students had no internet access at home, so educators made up packs for them to collect from the Skate School. This included activities, exercise routines and guidance on hygiene.

One essential part of reopening focused on ensuring that we filled the gaps in reaching students from the first lockdown, ensuring that students without access to the internet will be able to learn alongside their peers.

Reopening Skate Schools

While programs were suspended, the teams in each location worked on plans to reopen safely. And in accordance with advice from local governments in each location, we've re-opened our doors to students and staff in all locations.

To ensure the safety of staff and students, educators are running Dropping In and Skate and Create sessions with the students while maintaining physical distance, and continuing education on Covid-19.

This time has been really challenging. But we know so much more than we did about the ways in which we can reach our students, in case something similar happens again. We don’t know if there will be another lockdown, but we have processes in place now for a range of situations in case students can’t physically come to the Skate School. We learned all of the different barriers and realities in each location to ensure that we can meet the needs of students and their families. Some of these activities include continuing to support students and their families in Johannesburg with food donations and distributions, ensuring homework packages are organized and ready for students to take home should there be another lockdown, who do not have access to the internet in their homes.

More on what we learned about: fundraising campaign during a global pandemic

Another takeaway we’d like to share, running a fundraising campaign during the Covid-19 crisis.

In June and July of this year, Skateistan ran a fundraising campaign called It’s Her Turn which focused on girls' empowerment and the importance of female role models. As a team, we weren’t sure how successful fundraising would be in the midst of a global pandemic. We learned that our supporters all over the world engaged highly with positive news stories in this time of uncertainty. Our It’s Her Turn campaign had an initial fundraising goal of $75,000, and raised just over $109,000, surpassing all of our past fundraising campaigns during the months between May-August.

We learned that additional assets that we created for the first time in this campaign, such as the creation of a photo series to share, as well as running live events through our social media channels which were successful in terms of engagement and reach for our campaign.

While the pandemic makes the world seem so dark, news about creating access to opportunities for our students was really positive for supporters, which led to high engagement and support during the campaign.

If you have the means, please consider supporting Skateistan during this time as we work to reach our most vulnerable students around the world. To stay up to date on all things Skateistan, make sure you’ve subscribed to our monthly newsletter here.

Yes

It's Zarafshan's Turn

jess — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 09:04:32 +0000

It's Zarafshan's Turn jess Fri, 07/03/2020 - 11:04

Fri, 07/03/2020 - 12:00

Zarafshan & Malalai spoke to Zahra, who wrote this

Meet Zarafshan, who is 13 and lives in Kabul. Zarafshan was scared because she thought her teachers would be unkind. But her Educator, Malalai, showed her the kindness is the best way to learn.

Zarafshan* is 13 years old and lives in Kabul, she has been coming to Skateistan since 2018. First she participated in the Back-to-School program, an accelerated learning program for children who are out of school. Once she had graduated from Back-to-School, she enrolled in public school in the fourth grade, but she kept coming to Skateistan and now attends the Skate and Create program. Zarafshan has introduced several students to Skateistan because she likes it so much, including her niece.

When she first came to Skateistan she was not able to make friends and talk to teachers because she was afraid of them. She thought that all teachers punish their students so she was scared to speak up in case she got something wrong. After coming to lessons at the Skate School for a week, she realized that her educators are kind and that lessons at Skateistan are fun. Malalai is Zarafshan’s Educator at Skateistan and it was Malalai who changed Zarafshan’s mind about teachers. Zarafshan has decided to become a teacher in the future just like her teacher at Skateistan.

Malalai was originally a student at Skateistan, and then she became a volunteer. She worked really hard and eventually became a part-time staff member, helping out in the Back-to-School classes. For Malalai, the most important thing is her students and she never gives up on them. She is like a role-model for her students, a kind and creative teacher.

Zahra, our Programs Officer in Kabul, spoke to both Zarafshan and her Educator, Malalai, to understand how one woman can inspire another.

Zahra: What have you learned from your Educator Malalai?

Zarafshan: Beside the lessons she taught me, I learnt to respect people, and I realized what a real teacher looks like.

Zahra: Is there something special she taught you?

Zarafshan: Now I know, when I become a teacher in the future, I should not punish my students, but rather be kind to them. I will be supportive and creative with my students. That way, my students will enjoy the lessons and learn new things.

Zahra: What did you want to help Zarafshan with when she first started coming to Skateistan?

Malalai: She was a quiet girl, not talking to anyone when she first came. When I asked her questions about what she had learned, she didn't even raise her hand to answer the questions. One day I asked her to come in front of the class and write the Dari alphabet on the whiteboard. I saw that she was shy and confused in coming in front of the class, so I encouraged her kindly to come and write the alphabet. She came in front of the class and wrote all of the alphabet plus numbers without a single mistake - this was in the very first week of the program. I was shocked! I thought she was shy because she didn’t understand but now I could see she was such an intelligent girl. I realized that she needed to be encouraged and supported, because she had low self-confidence.

Zahra: How did you do that?

Malalai: I realized her needs and supported her to become more self-confident. I knew that she would learn the lessons, but something stopped her from answering the questions and talking in front of the class. This is normal for girls because they are often told they will not be good in school. But we are gentle and kind to the students and we give them time.

Zahra: Who inspired you when you were younger?

Malalai: My mother was the one who inspired me, as she is a very good teacher. When I was a kid I always wanted to become a good teacher like my mother. She was my role model.

Zahra: What are your hopes for the future?

Zarafshan: I want to go to university and become a good teacher in the future, because my country needs good teachers more than anything else.

Zahra: What are your hopes for Zarafshan's future?

Malalai: As Zarafshan always talks about becoming a teacher, I hope she becomes a very good and supportive teacher in the future.

Skateistan is aiming to raise $75,000 by the end of July so that we can provide more spaces where girls like Sophea are supported, encouraged and celebrated. Donate today to show girls that they can be whatever they dream of being. It's Her Turn.

If you want more updates like this, sign up for our monthly newsletter!

*Zarafshan's name has been changed in accordance with Skateistan's Child Protection Policy.

Yes

Measuring impact at Skateistan: Social Return on Investment

jess — Mon, 29 Jun 2020 12:45:22 +0000

Measuring impact at Skateistan: Social Return on Investment jess Mon, 06/29/2020 - 14:45

Mon, 06/01/2020 - 12:00

Words by Lauren

Recently, we embarked on a project to measure the social return on funds invested in Skateistan. Thanks to the efforts of three amazing volunteers, we can now calculate the social value of our programs! How do we do that? Read on!

At Skateistan we talk about ‘impact’ a lot. But what do we actually mean, and how do we measure it? The challenge is, impact is multi-dimensional and there are lots of ways to understand, analyse and communicate it. But essentially we want to know what sort of difference and how much of a difference we are making. Over the past few years we worked with three volunteers who rose to this challenge and explored a unique way of looking at impact. We are very excited to show you what they found.

It’s called ‘Social Return on Investment.' What, you say? Yes, it’s a mouthful. So we shortened it to SROI. SROI is a measurement tool that helps organizations to understand and to tell the story of how social, economic and environmental value is being created by their programs. Social values are translated into monetary values so that a ratio for return on investment can be calculated. For example, an investment of $1 USD could deliver $X USD of social value. But SROI is primarily about value, rather than money. The process requires careful consideration of all levels of all program operations, from the planning of activities to their execution and evaluation.

“What I enjoy about the project is the story that it tells, SROI is not only a number, it tells the story of change.”

Elisa

Skateistan Volunteer

“I was never able to visit the skate schools in Afghanistan, but this project helped to paint a pretty clear picture of what it may be like. I got to learn things about Afghanistan, the children attending the skate schools, and the teachers making it all happen. Learning about each child’s story and seeing what they value about the program really helped to build a strong connection with what I was doing, hence why it was such an enjoyable (but challenging) process.”

Zach

Skateistan Volunteer

Our volunteers, Zach Lynn, Elisa Likovic and Adèle Guinaudie, each focused on a Skate School location (Afghanistan, South Africa and Cambodia respectively) to write up a SROI report for the year 2018. Methodology was chosen from an established guide for SROI analysis developed by Social Value UK and the New Economics Foundation (Social Value UK, 2012). We were supported throughout the process by Statistical Evaluation Consultant, Samantha Chui, as well as a team of 10+ independent volunteers from ‘Statistics Without Borders’ to help us analyze and verify our data.

Below are some of the main steps followed:

Who was involved?
Identifying key stakeholders such as students, families, staff and indirect stakeholders like governments, schools, partners, and even yourselves.
How much was invested?
Identifying the monetary inputs - including in-kind donations.
What were the activities?
Understanding Skateistan’s sport and educational program activities, as well as staff training activities.
What were the changes?
Identifying major outcomes; improved wellbeing and skill development including life skills, leadership skills, and literacy/numeracy skills. As well as improved child care capacity for our staff which takes into account an improvement in employability as staff develop necessary skills to succeed and excel in the workplace. These outcomes were evidenced from qualitative and quantitative data analysis from our Skate Schools.
How did we value these changes?
Noting various assumptions and estimations from qualitative interviews with staff at our Skate Schools, and identifying suitable financial proxies to our program activities. We asked ourselves; how long will the impact last?; how much change would happen if we didn't exist?; and what services (financial proxies) can we compare our programs with?
What did we find?
Calculating the SROI ratio based on a 5-year and 10-year forecast by incorporating all of the above information.

We explored each location Skateistan works in individually, because each country’s context is very different, meaning that a comparison between them is not appropriate. For example, 2018 was the year Skateistan Cambodia moved locations and built a new Skate School, so a smaller number of programs were running than usual. In reality, the values we found are likely to be understated, given the unique nature of the services offered by our sport and educational programs. Similar services are extremely scarce and don’t necessarily offer the same quality of guidance for youth, or accessibility to such a variety of activities.

“For this project, I had to refer to various international and government databases. While I knew certain socioeconomic data would be difficult to find, I was pretty shocked to see how scarce it actually was and, when it was there, how skewed the information seemed to be. Next to this, having to read about the history of Afghanistan as well as the situation that the Afghan people live in today was hard to believe – at the same time though, it shows how valuable the skate schools truly are.”

Zach

Skateistan Volunteer

Key staff members from each Skate School were involved in the SROI process, but the analysis is not without its limitations. With more freedom in geographic locations, time and resources, more people could be involved in the valuation process. Overall, the study highlighted some lessons learned that we now want to focus more on. One of our volunteers, Elisa, explains,

“Conducting focus groups with more stakeholders, like the parents, was, for example, one of the recommendations that we made.”

Elisa

Skateistan Volunteer

“Data is empowering and can yield more accurate and efficient decision making. Quantitative analysis is a catalyst for change. Skateistan has utilized original data collection, data science, and statistics to ensure that their internal policies and external community engagement programs are transparent, reproducible, and reliable. Skateistans’ SROI models set the standard for best practices in measuring programmatic impact and social change."

Samantha Chiu

Lead Data Scientist at Booz Allen Hamilton

An important lesson was about our understanding of long-term impact. Making forecasts for 5 or 10 years into the future got us thinking about how we can build on our programs and data collection system to stay connected with our students even when they leave Skateistan and graduate from high school. Many of our students have grown up to become educators at Skateistan themselves, but there’s also many unheard and untold stories out there. That’s why this year we are piloting an alumni project, supporting our graduating students to take action in their local communities.

“For me, it was a valuable process because it helps to understand the value of Skateistan’s programs in the context of kids who would not ordinarily have access to such opportunities. In South Africa, extra murals (organized activities outside of school) are often regarded as an opportunity for the privileged and are sometimes so expensive that they seem exclusionary. It’s great to know that what we offer to kids has a value that can, for better or worse, be given a monetary figure.”

Mbali

General Manager, Skateistan South Africa

We are very grateful to everyone who was involved in this research. If you are interested in reading one of our full reports on a Skate School location, please contact us at info@skateistan.org. We are in discussion about third party evaluation plans for the future, and we appreciate all constructive feedback to ensure the ongoing improvement of our impact evaluations.

“I am really grateful to have taken part and contribute to such an in-depth and important study and I believe many other organisations would benefit from it.” - Adèle,

Skateistan Volunteer

If you'd like to stay up to date with all of Skateistan's activities, make sure you subscribe to our monthly email newsletter. You can also support Skateistan's work by making a donation today.

Welcome to the Citizens of Skateistan: Zamarin Wahdat

jess — Tue, 07 Apr 2020 09:47:55 +0000

Welcome to the Citizens of Skateistan: Zamarin Wahdat jess Tue, 04/07/2020 - 11:47

Tue, 04/07/2020 - 12:00

We are delighted to welcome Zamarin Wahdat to the Citizens of Skateistan! Zamarin was born in Kabul, Afghanistan and raised in Germany and was part of the team that made Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you’re a girl).

Kabul

We are delighted to welcome Zamarin Wahdat to the Citizens of Skateistan! Zamarin was born in Kabul, Afghanistan and raised in Germany and was part of the team that made Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you’re a girl). The film follows a group of girls in Skateistan’s Back-to-School program and recently won the Academy Award for Best Short Documentary. Today, we bring you a short interview with Zamarin to find out what led her back to her birthplace, how Skateistan affected her and what she hopes for the future of Afghanistan.

Tell us a bit about you - when did you leave Afghanistan?

I was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. Actually I was born in a neighbourhood called Mekroyan - the same spot where Oliver first ran skate sessions back in 2007/8. I visited when I went back and I went to the hospital where I was born. My mum always tells me the story of the night I was born - there was no electricity and bombings were happening that night. My aunt was the one to deliver me.

Along with my parents, I left Afghanistan in 1991 when I was two years old. It was just before the Taliban rose to power. We had a long journey to Germany and eventually settled in Hamburg. The first couple of years that we were in Germany, we lived in an asylum center. Once our papers were processed, we got an apartment. I still have distant family in Afghanistan, but I’d never been back until I went to work on Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you’re a girl).

How did you get into the film industry?

I’ve always been interested in telling stories and I’m a very visual person - I got the chance to study visual arts at the University of Sussex in Brighton (UK) and in my last year of study, I started to get interested in film.

Are there any films which really inspired you?

I grew up watching films with my dad, sitting on the couch. I’m an early riser and so is my dad, so we used to get up early and watch films before everyone else woke. They were usually old western movies. Those memories shaped me and then later I realized I could tell stories in this way.

What kind of films are you drawn to working on?

I’m always drawn to female protagonists and I love working with kids. I also have this interest in the ways that women and girls use sport to cope with difficult situations. I never planned that as a theme - but it’s the stories I keep being drawn to. At the moment I am really interested in narrative film making and that’s what I studied at NYU.

When did you first hear about Skateistan?

I was studying at NYU and Carol Dysinger (Director of Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone) was one of my professors. As I’m Afghan, she asked me if I’d be interested to work on the film. But that wasn’t the first time I’d heard of Skateistan - my cousin actually volunteered at Skateistan in Kabul back in 2011. When Carol asked me to work with her on the film, I said yes immediately without thinking that I would have to finish my course early and explain to my family that I was going to Afghanistan. It had always been my dream to go back to my home country. I had a longing for home.

Tell us a bit about your experience in Kabul.

It wasn’t how I expected it to be. I had heard the stories from my mum and my grandparents. In my imagination, Afghanistan was paradise. I knew it was a warzone but I had in my mind an image of how it used to be. I felt happy when I got there because I felt like I was home, but it was also hard. I wasn't allowed to move freely, I saw no other women on the streets. The river in Kabul has no water but is full of trash. I felt so sad. But then I went to Skateistan. I felt a sense of safety and freedom, especially when the girls came through the door. They were so happy and full of life - they were the Afghanistan I had in mind.

What was your role on the film?

Carol already had her team but she asked me to come and assist in camera work and also in talking with the girls, interviewing them and connecting with them as well as translating. Carol felt that the girls wouldn’t open up to her freely so I took on the role of connecting with the girls in Dari. I did everything with the girls: communicating, giving them homework, making them laugh, getting them to draw their favourite things. It helped to make the girls feel comfortable, natural. I wanted to help the film to feel as if it was coming through the eyes of the girls.

What moment sticks in your mind the most about filming at Skateistan?

My headscarf kept falling off because I hadn’t learned how to tie it properly. So one day, I decided to tie it as if I was a pirate. This made the girls laugh so much and they started experimenting with different styles. When women and girls are alone, they can be so free. There is a lot of humor.

Sometimes I just felt like I belonged with them. Little things like walking down the path with them at Skateistan, heading towards the Skateistan bus after their classes. I felt comfortable, like I had come home.

How did it feel to be part of an Oscar winning team?

It felt a little bit unreal. We couldn’t quite believe it was happening. We had filmed in 2017 so it felt surreal that it was suddenly in the spotlight. I never imagined that I would go to the Oscars with Tony Hawk! When they announced it, we all jumped up and screamed. We knew that the Oscar would put attention towards Skateistan and towards Afghanistan.

What is it about Skateistan that you particularly relate to?

Once the girls step on the skateboard, they have fire in their eyes. It’s a feeling of victory, that they can learn a new trick, take a ramp. Even that they can be there, doing this. It teaches them something very important: if I can do one thing, I can try another. It gives them something to aspire to and an independence that is very hard for an Afghan girl to have. They have it within those walls, and they take that lesson into the rest of their lives.

What do you think is the most important thing for girls growing up in Afghanistan?

The most important thing is also the hardest thing: to stand up for yourself, to protect yourself and to not allow yourself to be pushed into the role that some elements of society want for women. This has to be taught. That is what happens in Skateistan - they are taught that they can stand up for themselves. That they can be brave.

What made you want to become a Citizen of Skateistan?

It’s the belief that even in really bad conditions and times, and in a warzone, the smallest project can add a glimpse of happiness in children’s lives. This will make a change. If everybody can think in this way, it will build Afghanistan back up. I could have been a child growing up in Afghanistan, I could have been illiterate and married off at a young age. I saw the change that Skateistan can bring and I want to represent the organization so that we can reach more children. I don’t want the world to forget Afghanistan and its girls again.

We'd like to say a huge thank you to Zamarin and the whole team behind Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you're a girl) for helping to tell the Skateistan story. If you'd like to join Zamarin and make a difference to the lives of our students around the world, become a Citizen of Skateistan today.

Skateistan’s Culture of Safety

jess — Tue, 17 Mar 2020 10:57:50 +0000

Skateistan’s Culture of Safety jess Tue, 03/17/2020 - 11:57

Tue, 03/17/2020 - 12:00

At Skateistan we aim to put the safety of our staff and students first in everything we do. With the coronavirus situation changing rapidly around us, we thought it was the right time to share our approach to safety.

At Skateistan we aim to put the safety of our staff and students first in everything we do. This includes and goes beyond providing safety gear for each and every student when they skate; it also includes looking after the mental wellbeing of our students, educating students and staff on the ways to spot and stop abuse and keeping students safe when global crises hit. We call this our Culture of Safety. With the coronavirus situation changing rapidly around us, we thought it was the right time to share our approach to safety.

Safety has an important place in our curriculum across all our programs. In Skate and Create, students cover lessons on healthy lifestyles, good nutrition and the importance of physical activity (provided in our skateparks, right after their classroom sessions)! They also cover more sensitive subjects such as gender, abuse and human rights. These lessons can be challenging, but we believe it’s right to help children understand the world they’re growing up in and how they can make a difference.

Our Back-to-School students in Afghanistan often come from particularly vulnerable backgrounds. Many of them have been displaced from their homes by conflict and some are working on the streets. Safe transport and good nutrition are often challenges for their families so we provide transport to and from the Skate School every day, a hot and healthy meal after classes and a portion of dried fruits and nuts for every student, every day, generously donated by Ziba Foods. We also have a sensory room and trauma-informed counselling available in our Skate School in Mazar-e-Sharif for our Back-to-School students. Children have someone they can confide in, in their own language about anything they may have experienced in their lives. It’s important to us that our students feel safe, valued and looked after every day that they come to Skateistan.

Our Youth Leaders also cover the importance of safety and even have a curriculum milestone to become safety leaders. This means they can help out in skate sessions for younger students and help to keep everyone safe in the skatepark.

Back in 2019 in our Berlin office, we appointed Imran, an international programs manager who oversees child protection across all sites. Imran has helped to develop our comprehensive Child Protection Policy and meets with our local teams every week to support them with any child protection issues and to provide training and expertise. We issue guidance to staff, students and families on how we operate within our Culture of Safety so everyone knows they can turn to someone at Skateistan if they need help or they know someone else who does.

Recently, the whole world has been affected by the spread of Coronavirus. In accordance with advice from governments in all our locations, we’ve taken the decision to suspend classes at our Skate Schools until the situation improves. There are no known cases of coronavirus among our students or staff, but this step should help to slow the spread of the virus and help the communities around our Skate Schools. Our Berlin team is working remotely to reduce contact. Before we took the decision to suspend classes, we ran hygiene lessons for all students on understanding basic measures to prevent the spread of the virus. We hope to reopen our Skate Schools as soon as possible but this will be in line with government advice in each location. It’s a very hard decision to suspend classes, and we, like our students, can’t wait to get back into action. But we’re doing this for their safety, and for that of their communities.

We still need your support in this time. If you want to support Skateistan, please consider making a donation today.