Skateboards’ ‘roll’ in empowerment

Back in 2007, Skateistan — a non-profit organisation using skateboarding as a tool for empowerment — began as a grassroots ‘Sport for Development’ project on the streets of Kabul. A development initiative which combines skateboarding with education, over 50 per cent of its students are street-working children, and over 40 per cent are girls.

Though Dubai is a world away from the streets of Kabul, gender imbalance is still witnessed in skateboarding here, and The Zoo Skatepark manager, Jeremy Klynsmith, says only about 10 per cent of the park’s skaters are girls.

“It’s changing though. If you look at the people coming in to take lessons, about 30-40 per cent are girls. What places like this do is open up skateboarding to a wider audience.”

Describing skateboarding as its own “culture”, Klynsmith says the fact that it is wrapped up in music, art and its own fashion style means it has developed an image of its own.

“That’s appealing to kids. It gives them their own identity and their own family of sorts.”

A culture that was “born on the streets”, he says Dubai’s fascinating architecture makes it a great place to skateboard, and it is a local scene which is going from “strength to strength” here.

“It would be great to see more girls joining the skateboarding scene here, and already, we are witnessing that change. In general though, we just want to encourage whoever is keen to try skateborading. It is a great community sport.”