First skatepark mixes kids in Afghanistan

in the Straits Times today,

First skatepark mixes kids


KABUL - AFGHANISTAN'S first skateboarding park and school opened in Kabul on Tuesday with a boarding showdown between dozens of youngsters - ranging from ministers' children to streetkids - that it aims to bring together.

'Skateistan' started two years ago in a dried-up fountain in the heart of the Afghan capital, when two Australians with three skateboards started teaching a small group of fascinated kids.

Now dozens of boys and girls from across all social classes can mix in a giant indoor park that looks like a cross between a military hangar and an urban hangout, festooned with the names of fashionable skating brands that have sponsored the park.

Classes are free, and at the back of the skating section are neat changing areas and classrooms where children can study everything from basic literacy to advanced computing when they put down their boards and take off their helmets.

One of the world's poorest and most conservative countries seems a strange place to set up a skateboarding school, but the founders say it has proved a remarkably successful way to reach out to marginalised children, particularly girls.

'We managed to bring together about 200 street children, this sport is not only entertainment for them, it is also giving them hope for their future,' said Afghan Olympic Committee head Mohammad Zahir Aghbar.

Seasons Greetings

Hey guys Merry Christmas and a bloody happy new freaking year.. We're getting a year older but out skills have stayed fresh..as fresh as the day we started!!!! Lol