While doing my research for the first episode of the podcast about skateboarding and its role in city and community building, I came across a few other organizations spread across the continent working hard to harness the power of skateboarding to empower their communities in a number of different ways.
Surf Ghana
Surf Ghana is based out of Accra, Ghana and uses a combination of skateboarding and surfing to engage communities across the country. The organization runs a variety of initiatives ranging from skate and surf tours to different major surf and skate spots in the region, to their Skate Gal Club that's focused on providing a safe environment for women to learn to sport.
They're currently fundraising for the construction of Accra's first skatepark called The Freedom Skatepark which is certain to become a key community hub for both skateboarders and non-skateboarders alike.
Click here to listen to the podcast interview with Surf Ghana's founder and click here to learn more about Surf Ghana's work.
Skateistan
Skateistan, is an organization that started in Kabul, Afghanistan that combines the power of skateboarding and education to empower youth in several locations around the world. They currently have Skate Schools in places as far as Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Johannesburg, South Africa, where they offer not only skateboarding programming but a full-blown public school geared towards closing the educational gap for low-income youth and girls. They also provide youth leadership programming that through skill-building training and events help students to become the community leaders of tomorrow.
You can find out more about Skateistan's work here.
Ethiopia Skate
In 2016, Ethiopia Skate, in Addis Ababa, collaborated with volunteers from another non-profit organization that builds community skateparks across the world called Make Life Skate Life and created Addis Skatepark, Ethiopia’s first free-of-charge public skatepark as part of their mission of empowering youth. On top of creating vibrant skateboard spots where the community can experience and engage in the sport, Ethiopia Skate also helps to lessen the gap in access to board sports by providing skateboard equipment to youth.
You can find out more about their work here.
Girls Skate South Africa
Located in Johannesburg, South Africa, Girls Skate South Africa uses skateboarding to support social development and empower girls to take up the often male-dominated sport. Additionally, they offer community-building workshops, skateboarding sessions, and host board drives to help expand access to the sport across the region.
You can find out more about their work here.
