how girls in afghanistan are skateboarding their way to empowerment
TRANSCRIPT
How Girls in Afghanistan Are Skateboarding Their Way toEmpowerment
Young girls in Afghanistan are empowering themselves through an unexpected sport: skateboarding.
Non-profit organization Skateistan is cruising through the country's streets, getting fascinatedchildren to sign up for their skateboarding lessons followed up with educational time in classrooms --and it's all for free.
Skateistan
PHOTO: Skateistan is an organization that brings education to street youths through skateboardingin countries like Afghanistan and Cambodia.
The unconventional charity was founded by Australian Oliver Percovich who wanted to do somethingabout the lack of proper role models for working street children, Skateistan's communicationsdirector Rhianon Bader told ABC News.
"We want the girls to see one another as role models instead of the war lords who would drivearound town with a car load of men who are waving guns around," Percovich told the Daily Mail.
Skateistan
PHOTO: Skateistan is an organization that brings education to street youths through skateboardingin countries like Afghanistan and Cambodia.
But why skateboarding?
Simply because it's one of few, if any, sports socially acceptable for Afghanistan girls to participatein.
"Traditional sports and activities like bike riding, [soccer] and kite flying are really popular inAfghanistan, but they're only appropriate for boys," Bader told ABC News. "Skateboarding didn'texist in the Afghan context at all, so there weren't any social constraints for girls to take part inskateboarding."
Skateistan
PHOTO: Skateistan is an organization that brings education to street youths through skateboardingin countries like Afghanistan and Cambodia.
Skateistan serves both girls and boys, but theorganization has gone to especially great lengthsfor its girls.
"We've done everything to make our programculturally appropriate to reach as many girls aspossible," Bader told ABC News. "In Afghanistan,girls can only be around other girls, so we hostall-girls classes taught only by female teachers.We have a separate safe facility for them andprovide free, safe transportation for them."
Skateistan
PHOTO: Skateistan is an organization that brings education to street youths through skateboardingin countries like Afghanistan and Cambodia.
Skateistan is currently helping over 800 children pursue their dreams in the war-torn country, theDaily Mail reported.
"We are reaching out to kids internally displaced in camps, poor working street children and evenmiddle class kids," Bader told ABC News. "It's really important to have this mixing of differentbackgrounds to build up a civil society that has been devastated by decades of war.
Skateistan
PHOTO: Skateistan is an organization that brings education to street youths through skateboardingin countries like Afghanistan and Cambodia.
Their new outdoor skate park is the first inthe war-torn country that's seen morethan 21,000 killed in past 11 years.
Skateistan
PHOTO: Skateistan is an organization that brings education to street youths through skateboardingin countries like Afghanistan and Cambodia.
Skateistan's "Back to School" program attached with its skateboarding classes also helps theirstudents get enrolled or re-enrolled in the country's public school system.
The non-profit also has a youth leadership program, where older students can transition intosignificant full-time roles as instructors, teachers and speakers.
Skateistan
PHOTO: Skateistan is an organization that brings education to street youths through skateboardingin countries like Afghanistan and Cambodia.
One student in the program, Madina Saidy, 16, is now a teacher and recently represented Skateistanin Colombia at the U.N. Habitat's World Urban Forum, where she spoke in front of 25,000participants on urban equity, Bader told ABC News.
This was Saidy's first trip outside of Afghanistan.
"It's amazing to see a girl from Afghanistan who has been working since eight years old to come thisfar," Bader said. "She basically taught herself English, and now she's an amazing role model andleader who has even flown internationally."
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