AFGHANISTAN GIRLS SKATEBOARDING THEIR WAY TO EMPOWERMENT Young girls in Afghanistan are empowering themselves through an unexpected sport: skateboarding. Non-profit organization Skateistan is cruising through the countrys streets, getting fascinated children to sign up for their skateboarding lessons followed up with educational time in classrooms -- and its all for free. Skateistan is an organization that brings education to street youths through skateboarding in countries like Afghanistan and Cambodia. The unconventional charity was founded by Australian Oliver Percovich who wanted to do something about the lack of proper role models for working street children, Skateistans communications director Rhianon Bader said. We want the girls to see one another as role models instead of the war lords who would drive around town with a car load of men who are waving guns around, Percovich said recently. But why skateboarding? Simply because its one of few, if any, sports socially acceptable for Afghanistan girls to participate in. Traditional sports and activities like bike riding, [soccer] and kite flying are really popular in Afghanistan, but theyre only appropriate for boys, Bader told ABC News. Skateboarding didnt exist in the Afghan context at all, so there werent any social constraints for girls to take part in skateboarding. Skateistan serves both girls and boys, but the organization has gone to especially great lengths for its girls. Weve done everything to make our program culturally appropriate to reach as many girls as possible, Bader says. In Afghanistan, girls can only be around other girls, so we host all-girls classes taught only by female teachers. We have a separate safe facility for them and provide free, safe transportation for them. Skateistan is currently helping over 800 children pursue their dreams in the war-torn country, the Daily Mail reported. We are reaching out to kids internally displaced in camps, poor working street children and even middle class kids, Bader told ABC News. Its really important to have this mixing of different backgrounds to build up a civil society that has been devastated by decades of war. Their new outdoor skate park is the first in the war-torn country thats seen more than 21,000 killed in past 11 years. Skateistans Back to School program attached with its skateboarding classes also helps their students get enrolled or re-enrolled in the countrys public school system. The non-profit also has a youth leadership program, where older students can transition into significant full-time roles as instructors, teachers and speakers. One student in the program, Madina Saidy, 16, is now a teacher and recently represented Skateistan in Colombia at the U.N. Habitats World Urban Forum, where she spoke in front of 25,000 participants on urban equity. This was Saidys first trip outside of Afghanistan. Its amazing to see a girl from Afghanistan who has been working since eight years old to come this far, Bader said. She basically taught herself English, and now shes an amazing role model and leader who has even flown internationally.
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 07:07:38 +0000
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