Skateistan

These past two weeks have been a whirlwind. My fiance was at Ft. Benning in Georgia for a week, training for his deployment to Afghanistan. After a week of training and a four day stay in Kuwait, he finally flew to Afghanistan yesterday.

Needless to say, it's been on my mind a lot.

So when I saw this video on NYTimes.com, I was particularly interested.

Skateboard-loving Australian native Oliver Percovich was warned of the dangers of skating in Kabul.

"When I got to Afghanistan, people told me not to skate with girls because it might attract criticism, not to skate in the streets because it might be dangerous, not to skate with poor kids because they would steal my stuff," Percovich said in an interview for The Guardian Weekly. "But none of that happened; I haven't had any problems with the kids at all."

In 2007, with a budget of about $1,000, Percovich started 'Skateistan', a skating school for Afghan youth.

But for Percovich, the school means more than simply teaching Afghan youth how to skate.

"I feel that this skate park helps to build trust between Afghans and westerners," Percovich said.

An established trust between two different cultures is a necessary condition for success in other programs, such as "healthcare, education and the rule of law," he said.

While it may be a lofty mission in a war-torn and class divided country, the Australian said one of his goals is to allow children from different social classes, ethnic and religious backgrounds to skate together in one place.

"I want them to learn that they're all the same on a skateboard," Percovich said.

Young girls--who would otherwise have little opportunity to play sports--have been especially encouraged to participate in the school and are given priority on skateboards.

But above all of the goals that Percovich has had for the school, the most important has been providing a positive place for the kids to be kids.

"They live in quite a complicated environment in Kabul," he said. "And it worries me that I see them copying the negative behaviour they see around them. We try to provide them with a safe and positive environment, and I think it's working."


*Link to Skateistan website