Events

Skateistan student and teacher Madina, age 14, speaks to Afghan Parliament about the issues identified in the Children's Shura last week.

Fourteen-year-old Madina Saidy grew up selling trinkets on the streets of Kabul to support her mother and younger siblings. Now, she is a youth leader at Skateistan and a role model to hundreds of Afghan youth each week in the classes she teaches. Just a teenager herself, Madina has accomplished more than most people hope to their whole lives.

On Saturday March 9, she was selected to speak at the 3rd Annual Children's National Assembly, which took place at Afghanistan's Parliament building in Kabul, to present the issues facing Afghan youth to over 100 members of government.

Female instructors Hanifa and Parisa teach the young boys' skate class.

On March 8^th Skateistan will join the global community in celebrating International Women's Day (IWD), with events at Skateistan’s project sites in Afghanistan and Cambodia. Worldwide, Women’s Day is a celebration of respect, appreciation and love for women and their achievements.

Afghan girls and boys over look the climbing demonstration

On December 15^th 2012 Skateistan’s community of students, families, staff, and
 friends came together to celebrate and share the success stories of the past three years of the Skateistan Park in Kabul, Afghanistan.

The crowd of over 300 people was presented with milk and cookies upon their arrival at the facility in Kabul, to enjoy as they made their way through to the main hall of Skateistan. They were greeted with an exhibition of the students’ art work, and accompanying the students’ pieces was a gallery of photographs selected to explore the creative process and celebrate three years of arts education at Skateistan.

Noman, Erika and Frauke from Skateistan represent!

For the second year in a row, Skateistan youth from Afghanistan took part in the WeFree youth leadership event in Italy. Skateistan student and volunteer Noman Stanekzai attended the event along with two Skateistan staff that volunteered for six months in Kabul.

Noman says, "To begin with, I feel very lucky to be a part of Skateistan family and be able to help and support Skateistan in any possible way. On the 5th and 6th of October, Frauke, Erika and myself were invited to the international WeFree event, held in Italy. We introduced Skateistan by screening the movie ‘Four Wheels and a Board in Kabul. This was an amazing opportunity for us to express our feelings about Skateistan and about my country."

Taking place near Rimini, Italy, WeFree Days are held annually by the San Patrignano community, and are a way for young people all over the world to come together. This gathering works to establish a sense of community, to share ideas, and speak of personal experiences and hardships, as well as show the possibility of positive change, including drug addiction prevention, through the celebration of various aspects of youth culture.

Noman says that "Flying to Italy was my dream, to see the ocean, eat the Italian pizza, and meet the culture of the people, and it was way, way more amazing than what I expected!"

He continues, adding that "This trip was very productive: I met different people from many parts of the world with different thoughts and inspiring activities. This really inspired me to be strong when coming up against the problems in life and taught me many lessons. I had the best experience of my life and when I met Frauke and Erika in Italy after more than a year since last seeing them in Afghanistan, it felt like I was meeting a member of my family which made everything more special."

On Thursday October 11th 2012 the first ever TEDx event was organised in Kabul, Afghanistan. The day long event, hosted by the French Cultural Center, included speakers from a large range of social, cultural and entrepreneurial projects across the country.

During the morning and lunchtime breaks Skateistan was invited to give a skateboarding demonstration. Ten of our students and skateboard instructors came along to showcase their skills.