Atlantis

A New Chapter - where are we now?

alyssa — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 11:28:25 +0000

A New Chapter - where are we now? alyssa Thu, 04/28/2022 - 13:28

Thu, 04/28/2022 - 12:00

In November of last year, we launched A New Chapter, a fundraising campaign with the goal of raising $1.5 million by spring this year, with the aim to work in 20 locations, and reach 4,500 students every week by the end of 2022.

In August 2021, we suspended our programs in Afghanistan for the first time since 2009, when we opened the doors of our Skate School in Kabul. For over a decade, thousands of children in Afghanistan had found a safe space at Skateistan, where they could play, learn and dream. We said right from the start that we were committed long-term to the children of Afghanistan and that as soon as it was safe to do so, we would aim to restart our programs.

The crisis in Afghanistan led us to rethink our strategy. We always intended to increase the number of our Skate Schools but we had to think differently about how we can be more agile and reach more children, faster. In November of last year, we launched A New Chapter, a fundraising campaign with the goal of raising $1.5 million by spring this year, with the aim to work in 20 locations, and reach 4,500 students every week by the end of 2022.

As April 2022 kicks off, we are delighted to let you know that we are now working in 15+ locations around the world, and we reach up to 3,300 students every week. We’re well on our way to reach our goal and we want to sincerely thank you, our supporters, for helping us to get there.

Read on to see how we’re progressing against these goals.

Where are we now?

Running in-person programming in Afghanistan

We are so excited to be able to run in person programs in Afghanistan again. Skateistan students are attending the Back-to-School (BTS) program, which partners with schools and services to align our students with their national curriculums. Since January we have run our food distribution program and also delivered our Skate and Create program session remotely. But there is no substitute for real contact with our students and we are so happy to be back in the classroom with them.

We are now reaching up to 400 students per week through our BTS program in Afghanistan, and we are currently running Skate and Create sessions remotely for students, reaching up to 600 students per week in attendance.

Refugee Programs

We now have Skateistan programs running in refugee camps and resettlement locations. In Rochester, NY we have been working with the amazing Friends of ROC City Skatepark. They run a program called Rolling Rochester Resettlement Project which is aimed at supporting refugees through skateboarding. At the end of February we held a demo event to encourage children to sign up and now we’re able to get started with our Skate and Create program. Our Educators there (Zainab, Belqisa, Farzad and Sohaib) are all Afghan staff who want to continue using what they learned at Skateistan to empower others.

Two of our Youth Leaders, Saeeda and Marzia, went to Albania as Kabul fell. They expressed their desire to start some skate programs there and worked with our team to get things off the ground. Dr Nida Ahmad, a Researcher and Executive Board Member of the Muslim Women in Sport Network, has been incredibly helpful in supporting our Educators and helping to smooth the process so we can start programs. Skate gear arrived from our Berlin HQ in March and now these inspiring girls are now running Skate and Create three times a week.

Lastly, we're so happy to tell you about our work in Belgium. Belgium welcomed a significant number of Afghan refugees and has several camps around the country. Although we don’t have staff there to run programs, we have been so happy to link up with Fedasil and Kapow, two incredible partners who are helping us to implement programs in two refugee camps (Koksijde and Ghent). Both camps ran demonstration days in late February and are now running Skate and Create sessions weekly for both younger and older students.

We are reaching up to 300 children so far across all of our refugee program locations in Rochester, Albania, and Belgium.

Expansion locations

In Skateistan’s new chapter, we planted roots in new locations around the world to grow our skateboarding community. With our partners, we’re running Skate and Create for new students in Jordan, Bolivia, Kenya, South Africa, and Lebanon. These sessions focus on girls’ inclusion, empowerment and integration between different communities.

Jordan

In Jordan we are partnering with 7Hills Skatepark, who already run amazing skate programs in Amman. Together, we’re running Skate and Create for new students, who are a mix of Jordanian children and children with a refugee background, in Zarqa and Irbid.

Bolivia

In Bolivia, we’re proud to be working with Ayni Skate Project to run Skateistan programs in La Paz, and La Viacha, Bolivia. Using the Pura Pura skatepark (built by Make Life, Skate Life) we are running Skate and Create sessions and Youth Leadership, which focus on creativity and inclusion. In Bolivia with Ayni Skate Project, over 50% of students who have joined the program are girls, a product of employing many female educators in programs and skate sessions. Together through our programs, and with our focus on inclusion, we provide a safe space where girls can express themselves and follow their dreams.

Kenya

We’ve started working in partnership with Project Elimu, which runs dance and educational programs in Kibera, Nairobi. Now the project is also offering Skateistan’s Skate and Create program, to encourage children to skate, learn and explore their role in their community.

South Africa (Atlantis)

Skateistan South Africa has now expanded from its base in Johannesburg to the Western Cape. In partnership with local schools, we are now running our Skate and Create program for over 100 children in Atlantis. This provides a space where children can enjoy skateboarding and creative sessions safely, with adults they can trust and look up to.

Lebanon

Emphasizing on early education in order to facilitate and ease entering school, Skateistan partnered with Just Childhood, who are based in Beirut, Lebanon. We are now running our signature Skate and Create program there together. The majority of our students in Beirut, Lebanon are Syrian refugees, and currently up to 100 children attend our programs together with Just Childhood.

See how we’re progressing against these goals - check out our new locations map.

Thanks to your support, Skateistan is writing a new chapter in Albania, Jordan, Lebanon, Atlantis, and Kenya. There are children all over the world who need safe spaces to skate, dream, and learn. With our focus on girls' inclusion, empowerment and integration between different communities, we are connecting more children with opportunities to make them leaders for a better world.

Support Skateistan’s new chapter by making a donation today at https://www.skateistan.org/a-new-chapter.

Yes

Every day is International Women’s Day at Skateistan

alyssa — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 13:31:40 +0000

Every day is International Women’s Day at Skateistan alyssa Tue, 04/05/2022 - 15:31

Tue, 04/05/2022 - 12:00

Around half our students are girls and we strive every day to keep this at 50% or even higher.

International Women’s Day is just one day. But by becoming a Citizen of Skateistan, you can help to empower women and girls all year round.

We’re always looking for opportunities to address gender inequality. Many of you know that we aim for 50% girls’ participation in our programs and over the years, we have learned a lot about the different ways that we can inspire and encourage girls.

Something that’s really key is role models. When girls see other girls and women succeeding, or leading change, they know that this is something possible for them. That’s why we employ female educators and women in leadership roles wherever we can.

Atlantis

So this year, we were really excited to get the chance to inspire some of our newest students in Atlantis, South Africa. The programs in Atlantis have only been running for a few months and it has been quite challenging to increase our girls’ participation because of gender stereotypes in the community and concern over getting home safely after classes.

We asked Melissa Williams, an incredible skater for Vans SA, to pay a visit to our programs with some of her friends. Sara Parson Terras, an awesome skate photographer from Berlin was also in town and went along to document the session. Mel and her friends spent hours skating with our students in their girls-only sessions, helping them to improve and showing them what’s possible for girls.

It’s this kind of experience that girls remember for a long time. Sessions like this, where girls have an amazing experience and know that someone took time out of a really busy schedule to spend time with them, can have a huge impact.

“I’m happy that I got to meet new girl skaters,” one of our students said. And another one said " When I grow up I want to skate like Mel."

We are super stoked to share these awesome photos with you from the day. Huge thanks to Sara Parson Terras for capturing these special moments, and to Mel for skating with our students.

Instead of just celebrating IWD for one day, we marked it for two whole months. And we’re asking our supporters to make a commitment to supporting girls’ empowerment by becoming Citizens of Skateistan. Join our global community of supporters by donating $10 a month or more, and make a difference to the lives of girls all year round.

Yes

A New Chapter in....Atlantis, South Africa

jess — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 15:29:35 +0000

A New Chapter in....Atlantis, South Africa jess Mon, 12/13/2021 - 16:29

Thu, 12/16/2021 - 12:00

Skateistan has started a new chapter. We’re expanding our programs to reach thousands more children in new locations. The good news is, we’ve already begun! Read on to find out more about our new programs running in Atlantis, South Africa.

Skateistan has started a new chapter. We’re expanding our programs to reach thousands more children in new locations around the world. By the end of 2022, we aim to be operating in 20 locations and reaching 4,500 students each week. And the good news is, we’ve already begun! Read on to find out more about our new programs running in Atlantis, Western Cape, South Africa.

Location: Atlantis, Western Cape, South Africa

Average number of weekly students: 80

Girls’ participation: 23%

Programs running: Skate and Create, Dropping In

In August, we started running programs in Atlantis, South Africa. Although this is a completely new location for us, we have years of experience of working in South Africa, thanks to our Skate School in Johannesburg. Now we’ve entered into a unique partnership with public schools in the area to bring skateboarding into children’s daily lives. The schools already have simple skateparks and now we’re able to help children, in both high schools and primary schools, build up their skills in the skatepark, as well as learning more about how they can change their communities for the better.

Yes

A new chapter for Skateistan

jess — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 14:12:07 +0000

A new chapter for Skateistan jess Wed, 11/17/2021 - 15:12

Wed, 11/17/2021 - 12:00

Skateistan is embarking on a new chapter. One which will see us expand around the world to reach thousands more children. Find out how the Skateistan story continues.

A crisis in Afghanistan

In August 2021, we suspended our programs in Afghanistan for the first time since 2009, when we first opened the doors of our Skate School in Kabul. For over a decade, thousands of children in Afghanistan had found a safe space at Skateistan, where they could play, learn and dream. Now our future in Afghanistan is uncertain. Many of our staff have fled the country, but we’re determined that we’ll keep supporting the children of Afghanistan in any way that we can. We hope to restart programs there soon, but for now, that chapter of our story remains unwritten.

A New Chapter

The crisis in Afghanistan and the suspension of our programs forced us to rethink our model. We want to be able to reach as many children as we can, and we know there is a need for our programs all over the world. So now we’re embarking on a new chapter. This new chapter will see us expand rapidly, to 20 locations by the end of 2022. We aim to reach 4,500 students each week by the end of next year. We’ll do this by working in partnership with other organizations, by experimenting with different types of programming and always striving to reach children who are often forgotten and left behind.

We’ve already begun!

It sounds ambitious, but we’ve never been scared of a challenge. And the great news is, we’ve already begun! In just the last few months, we have already started working in Jordan, Bolivia, Atlantis (Western Cape, South Africa) and Kenya, in addition to our long-standing Skate Schools in Cambodia and Johannesburg.

In Jordan, Bolivia and Kenya we have three amazing new partners, who are now running Skateistan programs (7Hills Skatepark, Ayni Skate Project and Project Elimu respectively). This new model of working together with other organizations means we can expand our programs faster, while benefiting from the expertise and experience of these incredible organizations. Check them out!

In Atlantis, we are running programs in public schools as an expansion of our South Africa Skate School. It’s amazing to see so many children enjoying a completely new activity.

How can you help?

There are lots of ways that you can help Skateistan to write the next chapter of our story.

You can support ‘A New Chapter’ right now!

You can also share our campaign with your friends and family through social media.

Why not host your own fundraiser? It’s super easy to ‘add fundraiser’ on Instagram and Facebook. Contact us if you’d like help to get started!

And lastly, watch this space! We will keep bringing you updates on the campaign and the exciting developments at our new expansion locations. And when we have news from Afghanistan, we’ll be sure to share it here.

Yes