Mazar-e-Sharif

Global Girl Project: How are our girls getting on?

jess — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 11:17:18 +0000

Global Girl Project: How are our girls getting on? jess Fri, 03/05/2021 - 12:17

Fri, 03/05/2021 - 12:00

Vuyo and Zahra M

At Skateistan we talk a lot about girls’ empowerment and future leaders. So what does that look like on the ground? Recently, we partnered with Global Girl Project to run a blended learning program. Let's find out how our girls are getting on.

At Skateistan we talk a lot about girls’ empowerment and future leaders. So what does that look like on the ground? Recently, we partnered with Global Girl Project to run a blended learning program to help some of the girls in our Youth Leadership program find their voice. As we mark International Women’s Day around the world, we bring you an update on what’s happening at Skateistan to change the world for girls everywhere.

Global Girl Project aims to mobilize socially-minded and community driven girls from developing countries to become leaders. They work around the world and are truly inspiring a generation of young female leaders. We saw so many synergies between their work and ours that it seemed a natural fit to introduce their Blended Learning Leadership Initiative to the girls in our Youth Leadership program.

Through this three month course, 10 girls in Afghanistan and 10 in South Africa have been learning about community development and social change movements. They also learn how they can be the true change-makers within their own communities. This is an aspect of the Global Girl program that really appealed to us, as we are always encouraging our students to understand how they can make a difference. We love the idea that children and young people can lead positive change, rather than waiting for adults to do it for them. The program then helps girls to plan and run their own community event, helping them to build skills in organization, leadership, presentation and communication.

One of the first sessions of the program is to understand the community that the girls are growing up in.

Vuyo, who is our Programs Officer in Johannesburg, said: “The girls learned about what it means to have a voice and how to use it in their communities. They have learned about the different needs that their communities have.” To do this, the girls map out their communities and identify issues within it, including how those issues affect them.

Zahra, an Educator in Mazar-e-Sharif said: “The girls have been getting a better understanding of their community and the problems that exist. Each community is different so it’s good to explore this and get their feelings about it.”

Once their community mapping is done, the girls move on to explore what it means to be a role model. Lessons showcase various community heroes around the world and the girls have a chance to reflect on the ones that resonate the most with them.

“This session was a real highlight for the girls,” Vuyo says. “We talked about how our communities often do not allow kids to talk and share their views. The girls were highly inspired by girls who are young activists who fought for their rights. I could see this really sparking something in them, that they could be those change-makers too.”

The culmination of the program is a community event and the girls can choose their own theme. In South Africa, the girls chose to raise awareness about human trafficking, while in Mazar, the girls raised their voices against child abuse.

“The girls showed their skills and learning during the event very clearly and I was really proud of them,” Zahra says. “It was their first event ever and they learned and demonstrated so many new skills, from organization and planning to adaptability and flexibility when last minute challenges come up. They also really focused on how to persuade an audience, using speeches, drama and activities to move them. Most importantly they learned that their own voices can be used and heard to fight issues. They don’t have to wait for a teacher, or an adult leader; they can be those leaders themselves.”

The girls have now graduated from the program and we begin again with new cohorts in both locations. We are also expanding the program to our Youth Leadership students in Cambodia.

Julia Lynch is the Founder of Global Girl Project and actually video called with the girls in our program to motivate them for their event. She said, “Our partnership with Skateistan has been a game-changer for Global Girl Project. To work with such an innovative organisation, and now in all three of their partner countries, has given us a glimpse at how impactful our program can be, through the power of their girls. During our last cohorts in Mazar and Johannesburg I was absolutely blown away by the focus, determination, energy, and ideas of their girls to work to create the change that they want to see. And to see the events that they created, in the middle of a global pandemic, gave me even more hope and knowing that we WILL change our communities through the leadership of our girls and women.”

For Vuyo, the program is a powerful addition to Skateistan’s Youth Leadership program. “I saw many changes; our girls identified strengths that they had but were not aware of. The event they hosted made them realize that they have much bigger strength than they have been told.”

Zahra says, “I could clearly see lots of changes in the girls in the last sessions and especially after finishing the 11 sessions of the program and holding the event. Now the girls understand the power of their voice, how to be a good listener and speaker, how they can use their voice to change the community. I could see them being more brave, strong and committed to their goals.”

And it’s not just our staff who have noticed the impact of the program.

“The program was a life-changing experience, I have learned so many things about myself.”

Student

Johannesburg

“Before participating in the Global Girl Project, I used to limit my goals to less but now I learnt to dream big, change my dreams into goals and try to achieve my goals.”

Student

Mazar-e-Sharif

Make some space for girls this International Women’s Day. Donate today.

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Skateistan Alumni: Shabnam's story

jess — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 14:20:00 +0000

Skateistan Alumni: Shabnam's story jess Fri, 01/29/2021 - 15:20

Fri, 01/29/2021 - 12:00

Shabnam spoke to Noorzai, who wrote her story

Shabnam started coming to Skateistan when she was 14 and quickly learned leadership skills to help others. Shabnam is now studying for an Engineering degree, determined to make her country a better place in the future.

My name is Shabnam and I am a student of engineering at Balkh University, Afghanistan.

In 2014 I started coming to Skateistan in Mazar-e-Sharif. I was 14 then and I started coming together with my sisters. There were some people in the community who were saying that girls should not be playing sports. But our family was supportive and we chose not to listen to those voices. I started doing sport here and I learned some very important things.

From the moment I set foot in Skateistan, my self-confidence started to increase. I didn’t know how to skateboard, but slowly I learned and this showed me that when I apply myself, I can achieve. I then started helping younger students and this was a really positive point in my life. Even though I was still young, I had this chance to teach students. This was a big responsibility, but the educators supported and trusted me. The other students really respected me and this helped me to see myself in a different light.

I would say that my life really changed when I came to Skateistan. I started to see that people would look up to me and that I could help others by showing a good example.

All the staff of Skateistan respected us as teachers. It was the first time I had seen a team of people really respecting each other. There was a feeling of unity and kindness between Skateistan members and I use what I learned there in my life now.

When I came to Skateistan I was able to help myself and my community. It was important to have a safe space where girls can play sports, because there is nothing else like that in our culture. Many girls are not allowed to play sports at all, so we grow up believing that it’s not possible. But when we have something like Skateistan, we can change our thoughts and we can help our community to see that this is good.

Something that was interesting about Skateistan to me was celebrating important days like International Women’s Day and Peace Day. It made me think about why these days are important to our society and how we can contribute to a fairer, more peaceful community.

When I was in Skateistan I had so many good times with my friends. We worked in a team with students and together we did sports and enjoyed everything. I really miss them now. Even though I am enjoying my studies, we don’t have anything like Skateistan for older people and I miss being there.

Now I am studying Engineering at university. The reason that I study this is because I want to build my country. War has had an awful effect on Afghanistan and I want to change my poor country through my lessons. I also want to show that women can be successful engineers. Skateistan showed me that girls can do anything they put their minds to and I want to prove this in my life and to my community. I want to be an example for other girls that they can choose their own path.

If you believe in the long-term impact of our work, please consider making a donation or becoming a Citizen of Skateistan today.

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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.

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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

Celebrating International Day of Peace 2020

jess — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 10:35:03 +0000

Celebrating International Day of Peace 2020 jess Tue, 09/29/2020 - 12:35

Tue, 09/29/2020 - 12:00

What does peace mean to you? That’s a question our students have been exploring to mark this year’s International Day of Peace.

What does peace mean to you? That’s a question our students have been exploring to mark this year’s International Day of Peace.

The idea of peace carries different weight in different contexts. For our students in Afghanistan, many of whom have been directly affected by conflict, their dream of peace is a country no longer at war. In South Africa, the idea of peace may center more around finding a safe space, feeling safe within your city, or developing the skills to feel an inner calm.

In the classroom and in the skatepark, our aim is to help children explore these ideas and encourage them to express their feelings about what a peaceful world would look and feel like. Is peace a quantifiable state? Or does it only exist within us? How can we find peace if the physical environment we live in is in conflict? Here’s how students navigated these questions in Afghanistan and South Africa.

Afghanistan

In Mazar-e-Sharif, our female youth leaders are taking part in a blended learning program with Global Girl Project. To mark International Day of Peace, the girls attended a session on community mapping and how different elements of their communities affect each of them.

Some of our Back-to-School students in Mazar-e-Sharif are still attending classes in the Internally Displaced People’s (IDP) camp as there is not enough space at the Skate School for all our students to keep a safe distance from each other. During the lockdown, educators from the Skate School provided training for former teachers now living in the camp, so that students would not miss out on their important lessons. In the IDP camp on Peace Day, students marked the day with a celebration (including face painting!) and each drew a beautiful image of a dove to remind them of the importance of peace.

In Bamyan, our Skate and Create students explored the idea of peace through craft. First of all they had a discussion session with Mubaraka, our Programs Officer, on what peace means and why it’s important. Then, they drew around their own hands, colored and decorated their designs and then ‘joined hands’ with each other in a giant poster of unity, demonstrating that our dreams of peace can only come true when we work together. Nice!

South Africa

Students in Johannesburg have only just restarted their programs at the Skate School due to the coronavirus lockdown. Students have been missing their friends and educators, so any lessons right now need to be focused on self-expression, energy and interaction. Educators set up a board asking ‘what does peace mean to you?’ and got the students to come and fill in their ideas.

Some didn’t want to write and just wanted to skate, so their educators captured some sweet clips of them expressing their own ideas too!

Skateistan’s creative education classes aim to help children explore their own ideas about how the future should look. If you’re in a position to do so, please make a donation today to #keepskateistanrolling and help us to inspire the next generation of leaders.

Want more good news? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter today.

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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.

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Coping with Covid: Bringing Skateistan lessons to out-of-school children

jess — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 15:03:05 +0000

Coping with Covid: Bringing Skateistan lessons to out-of-school children jess Thu, 09/10/2020 - 17:03

Thu, 09/10/2020 - 12:00

Staff at Skateistan in Mazar-e-Sharif have been finding ways to reach out-of-school children during the pandemic.

Afghanistan is still deeply affected by conflict and many parts of the country remain volatile and unsafe. Many families relocate to get to safer parts of the country, such as Mazar-e-Sharif, which has a large IDP camp on its outskirts. For four years now, our team in Mazar-e-Sharif has been working with a local camp for internally displaced people, offering out-of-school children a second chance at a formal education. 200 children from the camp have attended Skateistan’s Back-to-School program so far, completing grades 1-3 in just one year and then enrolling in public school. But when Covid-19 hit, the children in the camp were no longer able to attend their classes at Skateistan.

The team in Mazar was especially concerned about the children in the IDP camp. “Of course we want the best for all our students, but the children in the camp are especially vulnerable,” Noorzai, our Programs Officer in Mazar said.

“Many of them have already had their education disrupted by conflict and then relocation; the more times their education is disrupted, the less likely they are to return and finish the program.”

Noorzai

Mazar-e-Sharif

So the teams started strategizing about what they could do to help. “The children cannot come in and out of the camp each day, and neither can we,” Noorzai explains. “So we realized that we’d need to train some community members within the camp if we wanted to keep running the program.”

The team selected two new educators who could lead the classes during the lockdown. Both of them already have experience as teachers in Faryab province and they both know the children involved in the program already. The Back-to-School program follows the Afghan national curriculum, and the team has already developed lesson plans so it was relatively straightforward to get the new educators trained and ready to deliver lessons. One of the new educators also has a room in his home that can be used for lessons, as it has a separate door where the children were able to keep distance from each other while learning.

Now there are around 100 children attending classes within the camp and around half of them are girls. As the Skate School reopens, we have to ensure that children can keep distance from each other so for now, the classes will continue in the IDP camp. The team is working out ways for the students to come to Skateistan at least once a week so they can keep skating as well as learning.

Part of the Back-to-School program also focuses on keeping children healthy. As well as teaching them how to reduce the spread of Covid-19, we also usually give students a hot meal as well as dried fruits and nuts everyday, which are donated by Ziba Foods. The team was determined that the children should not miss out on their nutrition, so as well as learning supplies, they also deliver fruits and nuts, gas for the stove and cooking supplies to keep our students healthy.

Covid-19 has presented us with new challenges, but we’re determined to keep reaching the students who need our programs in a range of different ways. If you’re in a financial position to do so, please consider making a donation to Skateistan today.

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Girls unite! Announcing our new partnership with Global Girl Project

jess — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 10:22:52 +0000

Girls unite! Announcing our new partnership with Global Girl Project jess Wed, 08/12/2020 - 12:22

Wed, 08/12/2020 - 12:00

We're very excited to announce that we'll soon be working with Global Girl Project; a special partnership that will empower older girls at our Skate Schools in Afghanistan and South Africa.

We're very excited to announce that we'll soon be working with Global Girl Project; a special partnership that will empower older girls at our Skate Schools in Afghanistan and South Africa. The partnership will form part of our Youth Leadership program and launches in September. Here, we catch up with Global Girl Project Founder, Julia Lynch, to find out what will be happening in our Skate Schools.

Tell us a little bit about Global Girl Project - when did it all start?

I started Global Girl Project, initially in the United States, back in 2014. We ran our Leadership Training and Cultural Exchange Program there for three years, bringing girls from both Brazil and India to Los Angeles for 2-month cultural exchanges and leadership trainings. Three years ago we moved the exchange program to be run from Nepal, and one year ago we became a registered charity in the United Kingdom as well. We now run our exchange program in Nepal, bringing girls from places like Rwanda, Pakistan, Haiti, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka and Cambodia there for 5-week leadership trainings. Additionally, we now run our Blended Learning Leadership Initiative in Nigeria, Haiti, Jordan and very soon, in South Africa and Afghanistan in partnership with Skateistan.

What is your aim and vision?

Our vision is to mobilise a network of disadvantaged girls throughout the developing world who have the tools and knowledge to leverage their new found power and strength for community and social change. We are working to teach girls throughout the developing world about the importance of their own voice and power as girls, and then take them through experiences and learning that mobilise them to implement their own initiatives, thereby becoming role models and leaders within their own communities.

How many girls are you currently working with and where?

For Global Girl our real impact is through the ripple effect that happens when you teach one girl how to create change with 100s of others in her community. So currently we are working with around 40 girls in Nigeria, Haiti, Pakistan, Nepal, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka and then in September we will be working with another 50 girls in Nigeria, Haiti, Jordan, South Africa and Afghanistan. And then each of these girls either has or will be running their own projects or initiatives, developed through our programming, that will then impact the lives of about 100 people each, within their own communities. So you can see how that ripple can become a wave!

When did you hear about Skateistan and how did the partnership come about?

I first heard about Skateistan back in 2014, around the time that I founded Global Girl Project. I had heard that Skateistan was running really innovative skateboarding programs for girls in Afghanistan and I knew at that moment that one day I would partner with Skateistan! Global Girl is a partner-based organisation. What makes us successful is working together with well-established organisations that work locally within the communities that we want to work within. It’s very important to us that our partnerships are strong and that we share the same vision with our partners to create change through the power of girls. We know that our partners are the experts within their own communities and so we trust them 100% to help us to deliver programming that is impactful, culturally appropriate, and community-driven. We were looking for countries to expand our Blended Learning Leadership Initiative (BLLI) into and I knew that the time was right for us to expand our work into Afghanistan and so I just reached out to the right person in Skateistan. I later found out that my curriculum writer went to grad school with one of the women on Skateistan's board and so she vouched for us, as an organisation and helped us to get an initial meeting. After meeting with Talia and Imran (Skateistan's Programs Director and Programs Manager), they suggested that we not only launch our program with their team in Afghanistan but also with their team in Johannesburg! And the rest will be herstory!

What will the partnership entail for Skateistan students?

Our program will run in both Johannesburg and Mazar to start and we will be running a 3-month long program three times throughout 2020/21. The program runs with groups of 10 girls, aged 13 to 18 years, in each 3-month cohort and is run by one of Skateistan's local educators who we train and support. The curriculum is delivered through an online platform, but is meant to be run in-person with small group work. However, with COVID19 we are looking at how the participants can be supported with sufficient technology and data to be able to work with the group virtually. We will see.

The girls meet weekly, through experiential group sessions, and are taught about the power of their voice, how to use it to create change, how to lead with their voice. They are taught about other girls throughout the developing world who are doing amazing and impactful things with their lives, they learn about a local movement that created change, and then they learn about community development and event/project planning and implementation. All through this time your students will be able to communicate through our online platform with our scholars in Jordan, Nigeria and Haiti and we will have a joint session with all 50 girls later in the program. And most importantly, each group of 10 students will develop and run their very own Community Action Event, within their local community, that will address a community issue that is of importance to them as young leaders. They will teach, lead and mobilise their community through these events and inspire other young people to do the same!

What are your main hopes for this project?

My main hopes for this project are that, first and foremost, our participants finish their program with an increased sense of confidence, self-efficacy and a knowing that they are much more powerful than they thought, and that they can use that power to create real community change. Second, I want each of our participants to recognize their role as models for other girls growing up in their communities and use this experience as a stepping stone towards starting up their own initiatives that support their communities in some way. Third, I want community members, respected elders to see the value and power of girls as change-makers and community leaders. And fourth, I want our program to be seen, by our partners, to also be THEIR program and for the students within Skateistan programming to know that they too can become Global Girls. And I guess lastly, I want all of our girls in the different countries where we work, to be connected to each other and continue to push each other to lead, think outside the box for solutions, and live their best lives as leaders.

Watch this space for more on this exciting partnership project.

You can find out more about Global Girl Project here.

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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.

It's Sara's Turn

jess — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 12:42:18 +0000

It's Sara's Turn jess Tue, 06/16/2020 - 14:42

Sun, 06/21/2020 - 12:00

Sara spoke with Mubaraka, who wrote this story.

Meet Sara, who is 16 and lives in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan. She dreams of becoming a professional soccer player. But it was the inspiration of her coach that gave Sara to courage to dream.

My name is Sara* and I am 16 years old. It was almost a year and a half ago when I first heard about Skateistan, then after speaking with my parents I decided to join the Skate and Create program.

Before I came to Skateistan, I used to play soccer. In fact, I have been very interested in soccer since I was a child, and I always played with the ball I had. After coming to Skateistan, I realized that there is a girls' soccer team here where all the girls play together. I decided to join so I could play in an official team together with other girls. Playing on a team makes me feel good, and I'm really happy to have the opportunity to practice with other girls now.Before coming to Skateistan, I never thought about having a role model. I've always said to myself that I need to practice enough to become a professional soccer player so that other girls can choose me as their role model. But after coming to Skateistan, I changed my mind about having a role model for myself. Mubaraka is my coach as well as an educator at Skateistan. She motivates me to become a professional soccer player and always encourages me. In my family, I have an older brother who always supports me, he says:

“I stand like a mountain behind you and I will do whatever it takes to make your progress come true.”

I am really happy that both at home and in the team where I play soccer, there are people who can help and motivate me to achieve my dreams.

One day at the end of one of the competitions held on the occasion of International Women's Day, the coach of one of the teams reads the list of girls who made it to the Balkh Women Soccer Team. Suddenly, I heard my name on the list. Even though I had heard the news with my own ears, it was really hard for me to believe. Another group of girls always made their way to the Balkh Women Soccer Team, but this time I and my other friends were selected. And now we were going to go to Kabul province and participate in the provincial competitions. Although I didn't get the chance to play in all the matches and I was upset about that, I was happy too, because I was one of the girls who was able to have the opportunity to come to Kabul and watch the matches and other training sessions of the soccer girls. And these competitions made me more determined to achieve my dreams and goals.

After a few months of returning from the Kabul tournament, there was a match between the teams in Mazar-e Sharif. The Skateistan team managed to win third place and I won the title of best scorer in the whole competition! The efforts of our team and the hard work that our coach put in for us all made it possible for us to get a good result. It would never have been possible to achieve this success alone, the efforts and motivation that Mubaraka (our coach) gives us make us more successful as a team. I can clearly say that my coach has always motivated me and so have other members of the team.

I wish to become a professional soccer player in the future who can participate in international competitions. And besides, I want to be a doctor so that I can serve my people and my country.

“Sara has been interested in soccer since she was a child. Before going to Skateistan, she did not have good social interactions and always argued with her siblings, but since she went to Skateistan, she has undergone many changes. And that's probably why she can connect with different people there. I'm really happy that she has the opportunity to play sports with other girls. The support and encouragement of Sara's teachers in Skateistan has made her work harder to achieve her goals. In essence, the encouragement and motivation you give to all children can make a big difference in the lives of many children.

I wish that Sara will achieve all her dreams in life. As her mother, I always try to support her on the way to her dreams and do my best to make her the pinnacle of success in her life. And I call on all parents to help their daughters achieve their dreams and always support them, just as in most families only boys are supported, let's support our daughters and give them the right to live like human beings in society.”

Sara's Mother

Mubaraka’s side of the story

It was seven years ago when I joined Skateistan as a student. I was in a Skate & Create class led by Zainab, who is now Afghanistan Country Manager. She always encouraged me to skate.

When it comes to getting inspiration, actually it doesn’t matter that someone inspires and motivates you just one specific thing. When someone inspires you it affects all aspects of your life. It was like this for me, when Zainab encouraged me to skate, it completely affected my whole life. I didn’t have a professional coach when I started to play soccer, I always watched videos and then tried to work on it practically. But I always remembered Zainab’s words that if you want to be a successful person, you should be patient, motivated and diligent in all the situations that you are in. It’s the only way that can help you.

When Sara joined the soccer team, it didn't look like she was really interested in playing soccer. Or maybe she was waiting for someone to come over and inspire her. But after a few weeks I saw that she plays very powerfully. So I decided to try to speak with her and encourage her, just like Zainab encouraged me.

As a coach, I think it’s really important to work with students mentally first. Then you can move on to their physical ability in the sport. Before and after each session I always talk to students about the things that can be inspiring and motivating to them. And it was the same for Sara.

I gave her a chance to play in a soccer game, and it was the start. Since she joined, we always get new starters to play in a game straight away. Because we want them all to see the game and know how they play a part.

Sara’s an inspirational player - she has a different power and motivation from other girls. It was her motivation and the way she plays soccer that meant she was selected from a big group of girls to participate in the provincial soccer game.

I am completely sure that she will be able to make a bright future for herself. And she will be able to play in international games. I also hope that other girls like her will be able to follow her example, recognize their powers and abilities to make a brighter future for themselves. I will always try my best to inspire and motivate girls so they can build their dreams.

Mubaraka, Sara's Educator and Soccer Coach

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

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