Skateistan: Connecting Afghan Youth to Education Through Skateboarding

Skateistan is a non-profit organization using skateboarding as a tool to empower vulnerable youth in Afghanistan. When Australian skateboarder Oliver Percovich dropped his skateboard in Kabul in 2007, he was surrounded by eager children who wanted to learn how to skate. This inspired him to start a small non-profit skate school in the city. What began as a grassroots “sport for development” project is now an award-winning global NGO with locations in Afghanistan, South Africa, and Cambodia.

Skateboarding is simply the “hook” that engages hard-to-reach youth ages 5 to 18. Skateistan's developmental aid programs provide kids with new opportunities in education, cross-cultural interaction, and personal empowerment. In the non-profit's skate park and classrooms in Kabul, children develop skills not just in skateboarding but also in leadership, civic responsibility, multimedia, and creative arts.

Skateistan is non-political, independent, and welcomes all ethnicities, social backgrounds, and religions. Forty percent of Skateistan's students are girls and more than half are street-working children.