Take a look at your skateboard. Bet you’ve never seen it as a powerful tool for social change, have you?
But the truth is skateboarding has allowed the world-renowned NGO Skateistan to reach at-risk young people in places like Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa. Through innovative social programmes built around skateboarding, they’ve helped thousands of young people to learn, become role models and find a positive community in which to grow, skate and just have fun.
Skateistan have huge ambitions for 2016 and they need your help to make them happen. To help fund two new projects and allow them to grow their reach to over 2,000 young people worldwide, they’re hoping to raise $100,000 in December 2015.
For the first time, you can help them reach their goal by taking a more active role in the project and becoming a ‘Citizen of Skateistan’ with monthly donations. To find out more, check out the video above, edited by filmmaker Ty Evans, and featuring Skateistan’s community of students and staff, alongside skaters Tony Hawk, Jamie Thomas, and Mimi Knoop.
“Skateboarding brings people together because it is the great equaliser,” explains pro skateboarder and Skateistan Ambassador, Tony Hawk. “You have no advantage given your background, your economics or your location. It’s more about; here is a skateboard, what can you do with it?”
Learn more about Skateistan.
Latest on Huck
This erotic zine dismantles LGBTQ+ respectability politics
Zine Scene — Created by Megan Wallace and Jack Rowe, PULP is a new print publication that embraces the diverse and messy, yet pleasurable multitudes that sex and desire can take.
Written by: Isaac Muk
As Tbilisi’s famed nightclubs reawaken, a murky future awaits
Spaces Between the Beats — Since Georgia’s ruling party suspended plans for EU accession, protests have continued in the capital, with nightclubs shutting in solidarity. Victor Swezey reported on their New Year’s Eve reopening, finding a mix of anxiety, catharsis and defiance.
Written by: Victor Swezey
Los Angeles is burning: Rick Castro on fleeing his home once again
Braver New World — In 2020, the photographer fled the Bobcat Fire in San Bernardino to his East Hollywood home, sparking the inspiration for an unsettling photo series. Now, while preparing for its exhibition, he has had to leave once again, returning to the mountains.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Ghais Guevara: “Rap is a pinnacle of our culture”
What Made Me — In our new series, we ask artists and rebels about the forces and experiences that have shaped who they are. First up, Philadelphian rap experimentalist Ghais Guevara.
Written by: Ghais Guevara
Gaza Biennale comes to London in ICA protest
Art and action — The global project, which presents the work of over 60 Palestinian artists, will be on view outside the art institution in protest of an exhibition funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Written by: Cyna Mirzai
Ragnar Axelsson’s thawing vision of Arctic life
At the Edge of the World — For over four decades, the Icelandic photographer has been journeying to the tip of the earth and documenting its communities. A new exhibition dives into his archive.
Written by: Cyna Mirzai