johannesburg map

About the Project

Art, education and skateboarding in South Africa

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

Meet one of the Johannesburg's Skate School students

Skateistan

Thanks to our partners for making this collaboration possible.

Skateistan
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