8

ustralians Oliver Percovich, Travis Beard and

Sharna Nolan walked through the streets

of Kabul, skateboards in hand. Traveling

as photographers and adventurists, the

trio set out to see how war had affected

Afghanistan. Children watched on as the three stopped to

skateboard on the streets of Kabul. By the time Ollie grabbed

knee pads and helmets out of his backpack, the children were

already fearlessly begging to try. Skateistan was instantly

born.

Rolling proud through the streets of Kabul picking

up passers-by as it went, Skateistan gained speed.

Not only did it become Afghanistan’s first skate

school, it is the world’s first co-educational skate

school and its only gaining momentum.

By taking time to help the Afghani children, Skateistan

has forged a unique trust between the foreigners

and the Afghani people.

“Kabul’s youth are impoverished, marginalized and

lack opportunities for education and recreation,”

states Ollie Percovich, Skateistan’s project manager

in his Skate school proposal.

Community fatigue leaves youth at high risk for

induction in the narcotics or arms industry or joining

insurgent and terrorists’ organizations.

But the children who attend Skateistan’s skate

programs seem unscathed. By the time the 4

O’clock session starts, Ollie already has so many

children lined up to skateboard that he’s progressed

to the next step; finding sponsors to provide the

program with more boards.

ROJECTP Written by: Erin Chatelain

ASKATEISTAN

9Betty

“The ideas behind the project evolved with

our frustration with the international aid effort in

Afghanistan,” Ollie writes. After almost 10 years of

international assistance the roads are in shocking

conditions and people still have unreliable 24-hour

electricity in the capital city.

Health care and education is widely inaccessible

and rent has inflated 200 times since 2001, due to

presence of foreign organizations.

With media attention from 80 news outlets in over 10 different

countries Skateistan is getting its fair share of the fame, which

inevitably comes with some criticism. Saturday Night Live’s

news update segment commented sarcastically that Kabul will

finally find peace now because a skateboard program was in

progress.

Some days the children might see a suicide bomber or burned

car pill-ups, but Kabul is fairly stable. It’s possible for a girl in

Kabul to feel relatively undamaged by the war due to the tens

of thousands oforeign troops warding off Taliban influence, in

Kabul.

During the days the Taliban reign, girls were not

allowed to play outside, climb a fence or fly a kite.

Today, Kabul’s young girls power passed the boys

on borrowed decks, gleaming with confidence.

The kids of the streets show up every day at 6am

and 4pm to skate. Through sharing boards, every

child that shows up is able to enjoy the pleasures

of being young, safe and happy. And many show

up, and are showing up still, being the reason

behind the project’s success.

Skateistan forged

a unique trust. ”“

KATEISTAN

10

But, all-in-all, the wheels of this project roll smoothly because it

has merit, and because smaller grassroots programs often show

substantial measurable benefits comparable to larger projects

relying on excessive administrations costs and inflexible

budgets.

Also, Skateistan chose skateboarding as its passage

because most Afghan sports are circled around violence

and competition. Riding needs minimal supervision and

resources, and can be done anywhere with a smooth

surface.

Many organizations are funded by a government dependant

on foreign aid and money spent usually doesn’t make a

difference to the average person. Skateistan is not about

money interactions, it’s about personal interaction and building

relationships.

“These relationships and trust networks are needed to build the

country just as much as the injections of foreign aid,” explains Ollie.

Like a father, Ollie worries that the presence of weapons sends

a message to the children that guns and warfare are essential in

gaining influence in society.

Currently, Kabul hosts a population of over 4 million people,

70 % of whom are children. Youth become vulnerable to

homelessness and resort to playing in the dangers of mined

areas, on heavy traffic roadsides or in abandoned

buildings.

Today, the plan to accommodate recreation to

the many youth in Kabul, and those returning

from Pakistan and Iran involves getting more

skateboards. Skateistan plans to expand and

build skate parks all over Afghanistan, and a

handover and exit strategy with teacher training

programs is the end goal for Skateistan’s

Youth development Program. Its success

relies on the assistance of volunteers and

funding.

“What we can achieve depends on levels of

funding and the skills of volunteers that we

can attract to the project,” says Ollie, who has

been loyally volunteering his time since it all

began.

Currently raising money to build a skate school

in a designated safe zone and ship more skating

supplies to the crowded country, Ollie is working

around the eastern clock. From embassies, to the

media, Skateistan is always raising community

and corporate interest and intriguing

donors.

“A lot of people have offered to donate skateboards but

in most cases a $5 donation would also be useful to us,”

stresses Ollie. Volunteering has also taken full swing with

international high profile faces showing up to skate their turn at

Skateistan.

11Betty

Visiting the website www.Skateistan.org, becoming a volunteer

or buying a t-shirt helps provide a positive liaison between

foreigners by pushing the children of Afghanistan to continue

to roll successfully.

For more information, to buy stickers, t-shirts or

to make a donation, please check out:

www.skateistan.org