How can you create a better world for children in a war torn country? Build a skateboarding school.
That’s what Oliver Percovich did after he visited Afghanistan in 2007. The school offers free skateboarding lessons to attract youth ages 5-18, and then teaches educational courses designed to empower youth and create a safe and fun environment to bridge the gap between different ethnicities. More than 50% are children who work on the streets and 40% are girls. The schools teach cross cultural interactions, basic education, art, and personal empowerment programs. Some of the youth who learn at Skateistan eventually become teachers in the school. The education portion is designed to help youth learn enough so they can enroll or re-enroll in local public schools. Many of the children have never been to school or know how to read. Instead they have needed to work and help support their families.
There are now two schools in Afghanistan and one in Cambodia. Recently Skateistan was awarded a $100,000 grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation that will fund these international programs for the next four years! That’s pretty amazing. http://www.skateistan.org/blog/big-thanks-tony-hawk-foundation Learn more about at Skateistan.org.
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Individual Empowerment 