Valuable lessons from the republic of Skateistan
source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080927.wafghanskate27/BNStory/Internati...
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- JDM
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Children swarm them as they open up backpacks to reveal knee pads, wrist guards and helmets. Small hands grab the equipment and within moments a dry fountain overflows with youngsters zooming around the smooth surface, laughing as they fall down and scramble back up.
Oliver Percovich, 34, emerges from the frolic and sits on the sidelines, keeping his eyes on the children like a worried father. He introduces himself as the project director of Skateistan, the only skateboarding school in Afghanistan, but as he talks it becomes clear that the lessons he hopes to teach go beyond showing kids how to balance on wheeled boards.
"We're pushing some boundaries," he says.
Perhaps the most important lesson from this scene in the park, Mr. Percovich says, is that it's possible to help Afghans without the big salaries, fleets of expensive vehicles and heavy security usually associated with the foreign-aid community.
He flouts the rules that limit the movements of most international staff in Afghanistan, who are often warned to stay away from public gatherings for fear of suicide bombers, and vary their movements in hopes of avoiding kidnappings. Mr. Percovich's small team shows up at the same old fountain several times a week, drawing a crowd of youngsters who giggle with delight at the novelty.
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skateboarding really is the best combo of sport, expression, art and pure silliness
..Skateistan makes me teary eyed.
-JDM, Skater since '90, Parent since '08
MORE AT THE ABOVE LINK
visit http://skateistan.org/
Oliver Percovich, 34, emerges from the frolic and sits on the sidelines, keeping his eyes on the children like a worried father. He introduces himself as the project director of Skateistan, the only skateboarding school in Afghanistan, but as he talks it becomes clear that the lessons he hopes to teach go beyond showing kids how to balance on wheeled boards.
"We're pushing some boundaries," he says.
Perhaps the most important lesson from this scene in the park, Mr. Percovich says, is that it's possible to help Afghans without the big salaries, fleets of expensive vehicles and heavy security usually associated with the foreign-aid community.
He flouts the rules that limit the movements of most international staff in Afghanistan, who are often warned to stay away from public gatherings for fear of suicide bombers, and vary their movements in hopes of avoiding kidnappings. Mr. Percovich's small team shows up at the same old fountain several times a week, drawing a crowd of youngsters who giggle with delight at the novelty.
______________________________________
skateboarding really is the best combo of sport, expression, art and pure silliness
..Skateistan makes me teary eyed.
-JDM, Skater since '90, Parent since '08
MORE AT THE ABOVE LINK
visit http://skateistan.org/
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- tags:
- News, Culture, Sports, Afghanistan, 6 more
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- Vierotchka
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JDM
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here is their promo vid.
me no speak Arabic but can anyone translate the song?
it sounds like "Hello/peace be with you...all these different cities" - 3 years ago
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JDM
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