Citizens of Skateistan: Elissa Steamer

🎉EXCITING NEWS! 🎉 It’s time to introduce you to another awesome new member of our Citizens of Skateistan family, a global community that empowers children through skateboarding and education.

We are incredibly stoked to welcome Elissa Steamer! Elissa needs no introduction, but in case you didn't know, she's one of the most legendary skateboarders of all time and is the godmother of female street skateboarding. To say we are pleased to have her on board is an understatement!

“I support Skateistan because it utilizes skateboarding as a great teacher of inclusion and navigation. Skateistan also teaches the children in their programs one of the world’s most important lessons, which is how to get back up after you fall.”

What Skateistan Learned About… Safe Spaces

Here at Skateistan, we are always striving to get better at what we do. We don’t have all the answers, but when challenging situations arise, we try to be proactive, turn problems into solutions and learn from our experiences. What Skateistan learned about…is a new mini series on our blog, where we'll share experiences that have challenged us and what we learned from them.

To find out how we recently helped our students understand the importance of safe spaces and trust, click the link below!

Local Update: Dropping In Library in Cambodia

Here at Skateistan, we know that empowering children in the 21st century demands access to high-quality education as well as access to information. That’s why, at the end of last year, we started working on a new exciting project — building a library for our Skate School in Cambodia to expand our programs and opportunities for our students.

Dropping In is a new program that provides space, resources and activities for children outside of our usual classes and skate sessions. It will include weekly computer classes, homework help and students will have the opportunity to participate in a reading club.

Curriculum Update: Act Local!

Our mission from day one was to empower children through skateboarding and education.The educational side of our programs is focused around creative, arts-based learning that is accessible to children regardless of their ability. Your support means that we can develop some seriously amazing lesson plans and we're keen to share what our students have been doing with you.

This month, we're kicking off a new mini series of curriculum updates on our blog - a chance for you to see more of what our students get up to in the classroom.

Shop to Donate: Skateistan Dove Hoodie & Longsleeve

We are stoked to present two of our new products in the online shop - the Dove Hoodie and the Dove Longsleeve! They will both keep you warm in the winter and have a beautiful, minimalistic Dove of Peace design created by one of our students in Afghanistan. And why the dove, we hear you ask?

In many cultures, there are stories that associate white doves with peace, but this has an even deeper meaning in Afghanistan. In places where peace cannot be taken for granted, this symbol takes on a deeper significance and is a chance for us to start an open conversation on the ideas of peace and conflict with students in our Skate Schools. Read more about this over on our blog or buy the products to promote peace-building and support our work.