Skateistan- empowering children

As Skateistan's Founder and Executive Director, Oliver Percovich, is a globally-renowned advocate for empowering children through skateboarding and creative education. Oliver’s unique approach to building a global NGO has also set him apart as a social entrepreneur. In 2008, Oliver founded Skateistan, a grassroots 'Sport for Development' project on the streets of Kabul. Today, Skateistan is an award-winning international NGO with facilities and full-time educational and sports programs running in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa, reaching over 3,000 children weekly. Oliver’s work with Skateistan has also won over a dozen awards, namely, being subject of the 2020 Oscar-winning documentary, ‘Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)’, showcasing Skateistan’s work in Kabul, International Olympic Committee Women and Sport World Award (2020), HundrED Top 100 Global Innovations in Education (2018), Peace and Sport NGO of the Year Award (2009), and UNICEF Education through Sport Award (2013).

Skateistan’s countries of operation – Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa – are places of long-term protracted social conflict and concentrated poverty, where education and recreational opportunities for children are compromised. Through our innovative programs (Outreach, Skate and Create, Back-to-School, Youth Leadership and Dropping In) we give children the opportunity to collaborate in a supportive environment, become leaders for a better world, and tackle complex problems in their own lives and local communities. Our work demonstrates that success comes when programs combine accessible classroom learning with skateboarding lessons, creating a unique tool for engaging and educating children regardless of their literacy level, gender or ethnicity. This project will elevate humanity by acting as a catalyst for empowerment: every day in our Skate Schools, children learn  life skills, build self-confidence, and gain friendships which will benefit them for the rest of their lives.

Poverty, conflict and crime affect the communities in which Skateistan works, perpetuating insecurity. In these contexts, children's voices are often not heard or valued, with their physical and mental wellbeing not being prioritized. In Afghanistan, an estimated 3.7 to 4.5 million children are out of school and approximately 60% of these are girls (UNICEF 2018). UN figures indicate that Afghanistan is classified in the top 10 toughest places for girls’ education worldwide. Children in Cambodia and South Africa also face numerous barries to education (e.g. exploitation through child labour, and gender-based violence) which impacts behaviour at school. In all three countries the quality of teaching is relatively low because teachers are often underqualified, poorly paid, and there is little incentive to invest in training. Physical education and the arts are not always included in government public school curriculums. Without the chance for children to play sport in their formative years, valuable team-building, confidence-building and physical development opportunities are lost. Through offering a combination of free sports, formal education and non-formal education in a safe and supportive environment, Skateistan students develop valuable life skills that go beyond the skatepark and classroom. 

Skateistan runs five core programs at its Skate Schools. ‘Outreach’ introduces new communities to skateboarding through creative activities and develops partnerships to connect young people and their families with important social services. The ‘Skate and Create’ program involves weekly skateboarding classes combined in equal measure with an educational arts-based curriculum, helping children to explore new topics and ideas. The ‘Back-to-School’ accelerated learning program helps to prepare out-of-school children to continue their education. Upon completing the program, students are enrolled into public schools, usually in the 3rd or 4th grade. The ‘Dropping In’ program provides learning spaces and resources where children can develop their aspirations through organised sport sessions, the library space, homework help and study groups. Motivated students can also join the ‘Youth Leadership’ program, assisting Educators in classes, mentoring younger students and planning local events. Skateistan’s core programs give children the opportunity to collaborate in a supportive environment, while equipping them to  become leaders for a better world. All of the Skate Schools are run by national staff, with over 60% of program staff being former Skateistan students. Skateistan develops community leaders and conscientious skateboarders who know how to safely fall, fail and persevere through adversity.

Skateistan aims for diversity and inclusion amongst its students (ages 5-17), with a special focus on girls (striving for 50% girls enrolment), children from low socioeconomic backgrounds (over 80%), children with disabilities, internally displaced children and children from over 23 different ethnicities and nationalities. Skateistan creates female-first environments by providing girls-only sessions on a weekly basis and employing female Educators to encourage girls to learn in safe and supportive spaces. Women occupy 60% of leadership positions with all four Skate Schools being managed by women who are inspirational role models to our students. With high rates of gender-based violence, the confidence, social supports and leadership skills provided through Skateistan’s sports programming is of enormous benefit to participating girls. Skateistan enhances the well-being of children living with a disability through providing a channel for them to form friendships, express creativity and develop self-identity. Skateistan programs build trust between children of different backgrounds in the classroom and the skatepark, a much-needed first step towards overcoming ethnic divisions in communities. In response to mental health needs, Skateistan has a sensory room and trauma-informed counselling available in its Skate School in Mazar-e-Sharif and will continue to integrate research-based, trauma-informed care into its programs globally.

Diversity, equality and inclusion are key principles for Skateistan’s programs. Skateistan aligns with the Elevate prize because we believe in creating accepting and inclusive communities where every child is respected and valued, regardless of their background, gender, ethnicity, income level or status. Focusing on the hardest-to-reach children, Skateistan’s free, high-quality programs encourage cooperation and cross-cultural learning with positive mentors, enabling the students to create a brighter future for themselves and their communities. Skateboarding naturally celebrates difference and encourages creativity in a way that many traditional sports do not. Through learning and play, children form friendships that overcome deep social barriers.

The idea of Skateistan began in 2008 when I arrived in Kabul, Afghanistan, with three skateboards and quickly met a group of children who were captivated by the sport and eager to learn how to skate. Afghanistan has experienced four decades of war and has seen limited investment in the education of its youth. I soon realised skateboarding could be a unique tool to engage Afghan youth and connect them to educational opportunities, so I started running informal skateboarding lessons at a local empty fountain in Kabul and Skateistan started to take shape. The project had to be driven by what needs were perceived by Afghans. That’s where the idea of Skateistan came from. The novelty of the sport in Afghanistan meant that there were no rules or social norms preventing girls from taking part in skateboarding, but they needed a private space to keep skateboarding once they reached puberty. After opening the first Skate School in Kabul in 2009, interest in the model grew worldwide and Skateistan expanded to Cambodia and South Africa. Over a decade later, Skateistan has become an award winning NGO that has reached over 13,000 students globally since 2009.

In the words of Oliver: “I am passionate about skateboarding and education. I have been skateboarding since I was five and I sincerely believe that quality education, especially for girls who are not yet accessing education, can change the world. We successfully use skateboarding, which is an incredible magnet for children, to connect them with quality education in countries like Afghanistan, where most girls don’t go to school. Skateboarding is complementary to success in other areas of life, by helping children to build confidence and learn to fall and get up again.

When I first went to Kabul in 2007, street working children, including girls, were interested in my skateboard. The fact that 50% of the population was under 16 piqued my interest that change was possible. The sincere interest of children in Kabul to skateboard and access quality education led me to build the Kabul Skate School. From there the organisation grew around the world. One in 10 girls globally still do not attend school. We utilize the power of skateboarding – its ability to build community and life skills – to solve an intractable and unforgivable problem: girls still not being able to go to school in 2020”. 

Skateistan is the first international initiative to combine skateboarding and education for youth empowerment. On a global level, Skateistan is recognized as a leader in the 'Sport for Development' field. Our four Skate Schools across Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa are 100% locally-led, by talented and motivated national teams. We also collect detailed and reliable data about our programs, allowing us to learn about their effectiveness and adapt them swiftly to local needs. Building off the decade-long expertise of our teams across Asia, Africa and Europe, we have developed a model that can be adapted to any context. In Skateistan’s 12-year history, the organisation has inspired numerous skateboarding-based social initiatives to emerge around the world. Today over 200 such projects exist in more than 60 countries, collectively reaching more than 13,000 children and young people each week. In 2018, Skateistan launched the Goodpush Alliance (https://www.goodpush.org/) – a global network to support and share open-source knowledge among social skateboarding projects worldwide – achieving a larger collective impact. 

Goodpush has provided tailored consulting to grassroots projects in Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Bangladesh, Mozambique and Greece and has directly supported 100s of practitioners involved in 65+ social skateboarding projects in topics such as social inclusion, community engagement, child protection and youth leadership. The launch of the Goodpush Alliance has provided Skateistan with a global scaling platform, sharing our knowledge with other organizations with the aim of increasing the collective impact of skateboarding for children’s development around the world.

 Words of Oliver: “In October 2009 I opened Afghanistan's first Skate School (and Afghanistan’s first skatepark) in Kabul against all odds. A harsh winter in 2012 caused a massive build up of snow and partial roof collapse, although luckily nobody was injured. At the time I was in Tokyo! Additionally there was rioting in Kabul targeting foreigners. 

When faced with a challenge, I take fast action and quickly bounce back. And I ask for help.

I flew back to Kabul and we organised safer accomodation for our foreign staff members from the riots. 

I reached out for help for money, advice and assistance. We engaged communication experts to help us with any potential PR crisis, the Norwegian government funded repairs to the building, and the construction company offered a big discount. We protected all the ramps and sport equipment inside the school by covering them with enormous tarpaulins. We found partners to run outreach programs with during the repairs. 

End result: two week disruption to programs, brand new roof and improved structural support to building, no negative PR for organisation, statement on our website for transparency, no damage to equipment inside school, and all staff safe despite the riots”. http://media.skateistan.org/vi...

In the words of Oliver: “My leadership potential focuses on a very powerful convening ability around ambitious ideas. What started off with only $1500, resulted just one year later in the opening of the largest indoor sports facility for Afghan youth. To open the first Skateistan Skate School in Kabul in 2009 I drew on my ability to relate to and win the support of an incredibly diverse and unlikely group of donors, stakeholders and volunteers. Firstly there needed to be the trust built with the streetworking children who were skateboarding and their parents, who are some of the most vulnerable people in the world. I won support from Afghan religious and community leaders; the Ambassadors of Norway, Denmark and Germany; global media organisations; a film crew; professional skateboarders; and the skateboard industry. The President of the Afghan Olympic Committee supported me with land and technical support for the Skate School. We even had the most famous Afghan actress at the opening, and the children were thrilled to fly around the skatepark for the first time. I have since continued to unite people behind a common dream of youth empowerment to establish three more Skate Schools”. 

Skateistan is the first international development organisation to combine skateboarding with larger educational, social and health outcomes. The novelty of skateboarding in places where it is not usually accessible ensures that the children are always excited to come to our Skate Schools. This is especially true for girls in Afghanistan, where skateboarding is very new and girls can participate even though cultural norms usually discourage girls from many sporting activities. Skateboarding can also be easily adapted to different abilities, making it equally accessible to children with disabilities, while building life skills such as self-confidence, perseverance, team building and goal setting. Skateistan has a holistic model, valuing long-term engagement with children to facilitate peaceful co-existence and unique youth-led communities, breaking barriers of ethnic and socio-economic divides, gender inequality and discrimination. The impact of Skateistan goes beyond the walls of the Skate Schools and has positive effects on children and their families, in terms of healthy lifestyles, future opportunities, and the ability and confidence to advocate for their rights, becoming role models in their communities. Skateistan's innovative programming supports the development of a strong, pluralistic and inclusive civil society in communities that have experienced conflict and civil unrest. The model has proven scalable and replicable in diverse international locations as demonstrated through the Goodpush Alliance.

The Skateistan model is founded on the belief that skateboarding, like education, is a great equalizer.

How it works:

Short term — Children find a fun, safe community where they can play and learn, free from discrimination and violence. Within a diverse peer group they come to understand themselves as equal with others, while learning new skills and building friendships.

Medium term — As members of a thriving learning community, youth develop key life skills and increase their confidence. Youth set goals, stay in school, and become involved in civic engagement activities. Many become role models for their peers in the skatepark and classes.

Long term — At 18, youth graduate from Skateistan and from high school with an expanded notion of community, and the tools to seek out further education and employment. Some become Skateistan volunteers and staff, and all join a global community of active, engaged citizens — promoting values of equality, education, and inclusion. After graduation, students can join the Skateistan Alumni Network; a platform to support and train young leaders graduating from Skateistan to lead change at the grassroots level.

Watch our animation which tells the story of an Afghan girl who goes through our programs and how it positively impacts her life. Skateistan’s two overarching outcomes include (1) children experience an increased quality of education (through accelerated formal education, life skills and non-formal education), including access to safe space and (2) staff have increased professional skill sets to deliver programs to children from marginalized groups (girls, migrant/IDP, and children with disabilities).  Skateistan creates opportunities for our student-led communities to share their voices online through cultural exchanges, blog posts, YouTube videos and through its 200K+ social media following. Please see Skateistan’s latest blog posts (https://www.skateistan.org/latest) featuring student stories of growth. Skateistan’s in-depth Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning findings indicate that 95% of students believe Skateistan lessons have been useful in their lives, 81% have a role model they can trust at Skateistan and 94% believe they can finish high school and/or go to university.

Skateistan currently teaches over 3,000 students in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa and strives to work with over 3800 children next year. This substantial increase is largely due to the opening of the third Skate School in Afghanistan (Bamyan), as well plans to run outreach sessions in Jordan, where we intend to open a new Skate School in 2022. During the next five years we plan to expand to new locations in areas of need and reach 6080 students each week by 2025. We also strive to deepen our programs through relevant research and digital tools, increase engagement with girls and children living with disabilities, improve knowledge sharing both internally and externally, and increase professional growth opportunities for our staff. Through our Goodpush Alliance activities, we provide annual, free training to over 200 social skateboarding practitioners, whose programs benefit an estimated 4000+ children weekly. By 2025 the Goodpush Alliance plans to support 500 members, who will provide safer, more inclusive skateboarding and educational programs for an estimated 20,000 children.

To ensure that Skateistan’s inspiring vision for the future of education, skateboarding, and gender equity is realized to its maximum capacity, Skateistan will continue to expand its impact by opening two new Skate School facilities. The first will be in Bamyan, Afghanistan, in Spring 2021, aiming to reach over 800 students. The second facility will be based  in Jordan in 2022 with a capacity for 1,000 students on a weekly basis, which will focus on the integration between Jordanian children and refugee children of Syrian, Iraqi, and other nationalities. Over the next five years Skateistan will scale its impact by facilitating knowledge sharing through the Goodpush Alliance program and partnerships. Skateistan hopes to change the face of the social skateboarding and youth development sectors by promoting safe, quality skate programming, centered around best practices in safeguarding and inclusion for all groups. Knowledge will be shared via our open-source toolkit, events, webinars, our online forum, and formalized certifications. Furthermore, the Skateistan Alumni Network (launched in March 2020) will provide a platform to support the young leaders graduating from Skateistan to continue leading change at the grassroots level and have a positive impact in their communities. The network is an extension of the Youth Leadership program and will allow Skateistan to measure its long term impact and capture stories of success from our graduates. Here and here are two inspiring stories that highlight Skateistan’s impact on its staff and students.

As with any ambitious project there are risks and challenges that must be acknowledged. Skateistan has identified the following potential risks and barriers:

1. With the new challenge of the global coronavirus pandemic, our Skate Schools have temporarily closed in accordance with advice from governments in our respective locations. This means that programs are disrupted, inequalities are exacerbated and access to education is more limited than ever. The social disruption accompanying government restrictions are having devastating socio-economic impacts in Skateistan’s countries of operation, taking millions of children out of school, missing out on valuable holistic development and well-being support.

2. During the Covid-19 lockdowns we’ve witnessed a massive digital divide in terms of our students' internet access and skill levels compared to young people in other parts of the world. Low digital literacy skills and little experience with e-learning are also issues faced by our staff as they adapt to remote programming.

3. Increased insecurity in Afghanistan. Skateistan is very aware that the security situation in Afghanistan is worsening and anti-foreigner sentiment has increased.

4. Low student engagement due to low relevance of programs.

5. Lack of data for verifying long-term impacts of programs for participants.

6. Programs do not sufficiently reach the most marginalized children.

7. High student turnover results in long-term goals not attained.

1. In response to the temporary closing of the Skate Schools, some of the interventions the team has tested include digitization of youth leadership and parent programming, video conference calls, food distribution, sending home activity and homework packs, and video support for our partners to continue to deliver Skateistan’s unique programming. Skateistan will further develop its remote programming, both online and offline to strengthen support for students and parents. Skateistan has reached up to 900 attendances via remote program delivery under strict lockdown conditions.

2. Staff members will further develop their digital literacy and ICT skills to address the digital divide, learn how to develop e-learning content, and gain skills to engage students with e-learning courses and blended learning models.

3. Skateistan uses various channels, such as the Afghanistan INGO Safety Organization (INSO) reports, to keep informed on security issues. No permanent foreigner presence. All daily activities run by national staff. Working on a holistic culture of safety across the organization.

4. Research and development to expand program scope; use data analysis to improve student engagement and retention; incorporate digital learning tools; child-centered and inclusive programs

5. Alumni network for verifying and improving long-term impact; 10 year impact goals; partnerships to improve data analysis.

6. Create safe spaces; conduct needs assessments and community engagement activities; maintain long-term goals for social inclusion (80% low income; 20% children with disabilities; 50% girls).

7. More stringent enrolment processes, work with families and communities to have high level buy-in for programs, digital tools for remote engagement.

Historically and currently Skateistan’s Skate Schools have successfully engaged with partners to reduce barriers for the hardest to reach children, including children with disabilities, girls, internally displaced children, children of low income families, street working children, and victims of exploitation and trafficking. Skateistan has cultivated over 50 strategic programs partnerships across the countries where it operates, spanning national governments, Ministries of Education, Olympic Committees, schools and other local NGOs to empower the most marginalized children. Skateistan also works with international program partners for digital learning, online curriculum, and verification and analysis of its quantitative data. Skateistan will continue to integrate research-based, trauma-informed care through partnerships with (1) IPSO: an organisation that integrates mental health and psychosocial counselling services into the public health system of Afghanistan, (2) Waves for Change (W4C): Staff from W4C will train Skateistan educators in South Africa to incorporate mental health activities into everyday programs and (3) Hull Services: jointly researching connections between skateboarding and neuroscience, showing that skateboarding is an activity that can heal the human brain from trauma. In 2019, Skateistan’s Goodpush Alliance started a three year long collaboration with Women Win (WW) to initiate a project focused on creating and supporting a European network for young female leaders to deliver local social skateboarding initiatives for girls’ empowerment and gender equity in Germany, Greece, Belgium, the UK and the Netherlands. Skateistan will continue to maintain and  develop partnerships with key national and international organizations to help us deliver the highest quality programming.

In 2018, Skateistan started a Social Return on Investment project, led by our Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager, with a primary goal of being able to communicate in financial terms the social value of the outcomes that are created by Skateistan’s main activities. Additional support for the project was provided by organizations such as Statistics Without Borders to analyze and verify Skateistan’s program data. The result of the analysis which includes in-depth research papers (provided upon request) for each of our Skate Schools provides further evidence in support of Skateistan’s effort. A summary of the results are as follows:

1. Afghanistan: 1 USD invested in Skateistan Afghanistan generated 5.13 USD of social value (over 5 years). 

2. Cambodia: 1 USD invested in Skateistan Cambodia generated 3.77USD of social value (over 5 years). 

3. South Africa: 1 USD invested in Skateistan South Africa generated 5.66 USD of social value (over 5 years).

The changes can be summarized as (1) improved wellbeing for students, (2) life skills development for students, (3) leadership skill development for students, (4) literacy and numeracy development for students and (5) improved child care capacity for staff.  Community engagement activities including skateboarding activities in identified areas of need, community events, community surveys and needs assessments have demonstrated that the situation in which most of our students live is often challenging. Skateistan programs provide a safe space that equips children with the skills to cope with the stresses of everyday life, a necessary foundation for lifelong health and wellbeing.

Skateistan continually works towards maintaining a diverse funding portfolio, providing financial sustainability which ensures operations can continue beyond the scope of the project. Skateistan is currently funded by governments, foundations, corporate sponsorships, international fundraising, and co-branding agreements. Skateistan donors include, but are not limited to, the Embassies of the United States, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the German Federal Foreign Office,  Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, the af Jochnick Foundation, The SOL Foundation and Comic Relief, and companies including Adidas and Vans as well as individuals worldwide. We have a dedicated individual monthly donor club called ‘Citizens of Skateistan’. We run fundraising campaigns multiple times a year and raise money through affiliate non-profit fundraising entities in Germany, the Netherlands, the US and the UK. Governments and foundations continue to be our biggest source of income, however, over the years we have counted on generous in kind donations, providing skateboards and equipment to run our programs, as well as pro bono services related to the construction of our skateparks, and our 13 minute documentary, “The Land of Skate”. Skateistan International (HQ based in Berlin) holds a policy to have six months of unrestricted funding in reserves. In future years, Skateistan aims to increase this to one full year of reserves.

Skateistan has raised the following funds in the past 12 months:

100,000 USD + 

1. Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

2. US Embassy in Afghanistan

3. Jochnick Foundation

4. Laureus Sport for Good Foundation

5. German Federal Foreign Office

6. Comic Relief- BT Supporters Club

7. Chanel Foundation

8. Adidas

9. Vans

50,000-100,000 USD

1. SOL Foundation

2. Citizens of Skateistan

10,000-50,000 USD

1.  Tony Hawk Foundation

2.  Laureus Sport for Good Foundation South Africa

3.  Bennack Polan Foundation

4. The Skateroom

5.  Ford Foundation

Skateistan is seeking a 300,000 USD grant to be spent over two years to support its free sports and educational programming for children in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa enabling  thousands of the world’s most disadvantaged children to build prosperous futures and become leaders for a better world. With COVID-19 disrupting the activities of non-profit organizations, sport programs, and children’s education worldwide, there is a unique opportunity to focus on building up digitized program content and developing a global online community that crosses borders. We would use additional support at this time to ensure our programs can continue to be funded through 2021 and 2022. This will be done largely through improving our e-learning and alternative learning capacities so that we can continue to work with parents on child protection, and meet the needs of our students for stimulating learning and play experiences, even when they can't come to our safe Skateistan facilities.

Skateistan’s expenses for 2020 are 2,023,304 USD.

Skateistan is applying to the Elevate prize, because we believe that our innovative programs have the ability to catalyze positive change. In order for us to stay resilient in the face of a changing funding landscape, and to continue to best serve our participants around the world, we would be grateful for the opportunity to receive support from the Elevate prize. The Elevate prize could help us to overcome the barriers outlined above, in particular the challenges that COVID-19 pose, through providing the flexibility and security to be able to adapt and trial our programming methods as needed to find solutions for providing education to some of the hardest-to-reach children in the world who lack the online learning opportunities that many children have worldwide. We want to continue helping communities around the world to feel hopeful about their future and become resilient to challenge. We also want to continue to facilitate social change by providing leadership opportunities to children who have otherwise been discriminated against or isolated. Through our programs children gain an understanding of the world around them and are better able to make positive decisions for themselves, including shaping their own futures. For Skateistan to continue its operations it is crucial to raise the necessary funds to fill Skateistan’s budget into the foreseeable future, achieving as much financial security and operational flexibility as possible.

Skateistan is looking for financial support which will guarantee the continuation of Skateistan’s Outreach, Skate & Create, Back-to-School and Youth Leadership and Dropping In programs in Afghanistan, South Africa and Cambodia. Skateistan’s Skate Schools will continue to act as spaces that transcend social and economic boundaries and tackle social issues, focusing on the promotion of gender equality, social inclusion, health and creative education. Financial support will also make possible the continued growth and long-term stability of the organization globally. It is essential that Skateistan’s Educators are equipped with the theory and skills to deliver this unique programming to marginalized groups, resulting in a long-term focus on training and skill building for Educators, especially in digital literacy and use of technology. Through the Goodpush Alliance, Skateistan will expand its global community of beneficiaries and unite them through the common approach of enhancing access to inclusive education, through the hook of skateboarding.

Skateistan would like to partner with a number of organisations in order to continue to deliver its unique skateboarding and creative education programming at its locations globally, as well as adapting its programs to the new reality and challenges posed by COVID-19. One example is Team4Tech, an NGO which advances the quality of education for underserved learners through technology solutions and pro bono consulting. The reason being that we see the development of digital skills and online networking as crucial for the young people at Skateistan who are leading and serving as role models in grassroots, community-based organizations. Skateistan is looking to form a partnership with a new global fund that aims to transform the delivery of education in emergencies – one that joins up governments, humanitarian actors and development efforts to deliver a more collaborative and rapid response to the educational needs of children and youth affected by crises. Skateistan would be interested in forming a partnership with the major global Foundation such as the MacArthur Foundation which supports creative people and effective institutions committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world, in order to maintain a diverse funding portfolio and secure long term funding beyond 2020. In addition to developing new partnerships Skateistan would like to strengthen existing partnerships with key national and international organizations such as government ministries, Olympic Committees, public and private schools and local NGOs to empower the most marginalized children and support its delivery of high-quality programming.