Skateistan is an award-winning international non-profit organization founded in 2007 by Oliver Percovich, to empower children in Kabul, Afghanistan through skateboarding & education programs. Today, Skateistan operates in Cambodia and South Africa, as well as multiple locations in Afghanistan. Skateistan’s innovative programs combine creative, arts-based education with the fun and freedom of skateboarding, giving children the opportunities to become leaders for a better world.
About Skateistan:
- 2,700+ active students, including 175 children with disabilities
- 5 locations
- 150+ students have re-entered the national school curriculum after joining Skateistan’s programs
Johannesburg is Skateistan’s fourth School, opened in 2016. Located in downtown Johannesburg, the South African facility serves a diverse group of students from a range of backgrounds. The school runs daily programs for children to attend after their public schooling. In August 2019, THE SKATEROOM initiated a pilot project with Skateistan and Special Olympics South Africa, providing the opportunity to 20 Special Athletes to learn skateboarding. It was such a success that the pilot turned into a full-time program to continue broadening activities for children with disabilities across Skateistan’s locations.
About Johannesburg's Skate School:
- 940+ active students
- 44% girls
- 12 ethnicities represented in student body
- 87% from low income backgrounds
- 49 students with disabilities
- 15 jobs for local people
Our commitment to Skateistan:
This project is part of an ongoing and unrestricted funding commitment to Skateistan. We provided a specific support of $200,000 towards the construction of the Johannesburg skatepark. We have sealed a formal 3-year partnership committing to support the organization with an additional $300,000 from 2019 until 2021. We have raised $810,000+ since 2014 for this project.
Find out more information on
Skateistan NGO website
