The Australian professional skateboarder Oliver “Ollie” Percovich He visited Afghanistan for the first time in 2007, basically out of a mixture of restlessness, curiosity, and a desire to see the world. What he didn't suspect was that this visit would be a seed of inspiration for him. a project that has been running for seven years and it's causing a lot of buzz. It's called Skateistan.
Skateistan It is an NGO focused on children that works to create spaces for the most disadvantaged children to be able to enjoy skateboarding and skating and also for them to get to know each other and build relationships and friendships. The ultimate goal of this non-profit organization It is the education of children with few or no resources since Skateistan has a educational program where children can integrate and learn various subjects at an academic level.
So far Skateistan has had activity in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South AfricaThe next project is planned to be developed in the German capital: Berlin.
Students have the opportunity, once they have been in the organization for a few years and after regularly attending meetings and training sessions, to become Skateistan teachers or instructorsThis is the case of Hanifa, an Afghan girl who learned to skate at Skateistan at the age of 5. Although at 10 she had no choice but to work on the streets with her sister to earn a living, she never missed training or classes and has now become an instructor for new children joining the NGO.
Skateistan has recently signed a collaboration with Polaroid, specifically with the initiative Polaroid Impossible Project, giving rise to the movement Skate x Impossible in which both organizations promote snapshots of children participating in Skateistan, images of them practicing and enjoying skating.
