This stunning video is well worth the riveting 9 minutes it takes to watch it, even (or especially) in the midst of a busy day. Part of Sundance’s short film program, it is a moving, beautifully filmed documentary about Skateistan, Afghanistan’s first co-educational skateboarding school, created by Oliver Percovich to help kids dealing with a life of war, poverty and destruction, “to build kids’ confidence…and give them a voice.”
Says Fazilla, a 12-year-old girl living in Kabul:
I work in the street and sell chewing gum. Life is hard for me personally because my family is poor, sometimes we can’t afford enough eat. At Skateistan, I dont feel that my surroundings are ruined, I feel as though I’m in a nice place.
Skateboarding totally changes the view. Such a simple brilliant idea.
This piece in the New York Times tells the story.
via BoingBoing
Loved this film! I formed my organization on the basis of this film. In my town, and in many towns around my state, there are posted municipal signs everywhere, making skateboarding a crime, yet our towns do not offer indoor or outdoor skateboarding rinks for our children to get their energy out in positive ways. They rely on the typical team sports as they only venues that are hailed as positive outlets for our children.
Keeping our sons and daughters busy at something they love builds social, physical, emotional and provides a venue to increase peace awareness simultaneously.
Until we saw Skateistan, we never thought about what a skateboard can REALLY do. We would like to know more about your organization but the url you gave doesn’t seem to work. Please send us a link! Thanks.
this is so awesome. TA. that looks like how they say ‘thanks’ in Britain, but I mean, thanks again.