Skateistan is an award-winning international NGO that empowers children through skateboarding and education in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa.

Their focus is on groups who are often excluded from sports and educational opportunities, so in this episode we speak to Alyssa Bialowas, the Communications Officer at Skateistan to find out more about the work they are doing. From their interactive classrooms to the fun of the skatepark we learn how Skateistan is providing these opportunities on a local level, working with members of the community to give children the opportunity to build their skills, become future leaders, and make new friends along the way.

We also speak to Lisa and Enos, who work in the Skateistan centre in Johannesburg, about what it looks like to be an educator at Skateistan. They share the joys of working with the kids every day, how COVID has affected the way programs are run and the conversations around mental health that are being brought to the table.

This episode is brought to you by Bear Radio. Special thanks to Alyssa, Lisa and Enos for joining us. Thank you to RØDE, sE Electronics, and Shure for making our home recordings possible.

Featuring music from Epidemic Sound and audio from Tedx Talks and Skateistan on YouTube, and our cover photo is by Andy Buchanan.

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