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Welcome to

Transparency

A colorful, scrollable, interactive, exciting journey into everything we feel like it’s important to know about our organization and its work all over the world. We’re talking Annual Reports, Financial Statements, information on our staff and advisory boards, who funds us and how those funds are spent, and the list goes on. There’s a lot of information here. Some people might say too much. But you’re not one of those people, obviously, because here you are. So, strap in, warm up those fingers, and get ready for the ride of your life.*

*or one of the rides of your life, at the very least.


Contents

Welcome to Skateistan Transparency


What is Skateistan?


Our Vision


Locations


Finance and Reports


Safeguarding



Donors


Advisory board


National Fundraising boards


Team


Contact


We are an award-winning NGO, driving a global movement in skateboarding and creative learning. Bold, inclusive and playful, we do whatever it takes to create spaces where young people can learn, play, and shape their futures.


What does that even mean?

Skateistan means land of skateboarding. It’s sort of imaginary, yes, but it’s also pretty real. Our truly-international partnership model builds skateboarding infrastructure and schools all over the world, delivers programs and equipment, and facilitates a network of over 800 social-skate projects with funding and resources.

Can anybody be a part of Skateistan?

By focusing on girls, young people with disabilities, as well as at-risk, LGBTQ+/BIPOC and migrant communities, we promote inclusivity, diversity, resilience and autonomy. Skateistan stretches across humanity, and anybody can be a citizen. All you’ve gotta do is dig what we’re about, and believe that everybody—regardless of spiritual beliefs, birth country, race, gender, sexual orientation, or push stance—is of equal worth.

So, what sets Skateistan apart from other NGOs?

Since the children of Kabul first grabbed the skateboards from our hands back in 2007, we got the message: put our participants first. We know that choice is key to children shaping their own journeys. It is our job to give them the space and the resources they need to shape their lives and lead their communities.


They lead, we follow.

And why on-earth is skateboarding so important?

Honestly, we don’t really know about much else. Skateboarding birthed us, it raised us, it knocked us down (it still does, like, all the time), and it raised us up again, and again, and again.


As skateboarders, we spend 99% of our time falling over. That taught us some pretty important life lessons about resilience, about being bold, inclusive and playful. And we never forgot them.


Life lessons. Really?

It’s true, when we started in 2007, nobody had really thought much about how skateboarding can shape a person’s future. Skateboarding was rebellious and it was radical. Some thought that was cool, others not so much. Either way, this was a very Western perception.


Meanwhile, over in Afghanistan, we saw first-hand how the young girls and boys in Kabul were learning through play. By riding around, falling, and getting back up, they were developing resilience, problem solving skills and were making friends. Especially for the girls, who weren’t allowed to engage in sports, we saw how the skills they developed through skateboarding were being brought into their daily lives—often very challenging daily lives—and that taught us something too. It taught us about the power of young people to grow and develop themselves, if they’ve got the space and the resources to do so.


If we could help provide those two key things, they’d do the rest. They would lead, and we could follow, and as our participants grew we could hand more and more of the ownership over to them and their communities.

Cut to:

Now, sixteen years later, the power of skateboarding is no secret. Did you know there are over 800 social skate projects the world over? And those are just the ones we’ve counted over at The Goodpush Alliance. It was actually the biggest sport for women in Afghanistan until 2021, and across all our programs over nearly 50% are girls.


So, skateboarding is reaching young people all over the planet, and while it’s still radical as ever, it’s also a tool for young people to shape their communities and choose their futures. It is a space and a resource for them to use as they choose. This is a global movement for change. At Skateistan, we continue to do whatever it takes to bring humanity on board.


3,345

(53% female)

Weekly student attendances in sports and educational programs by the end of 2022

Our Vision

The world, on board.

We want to become the most recognized cultural actor in skateboarding, creating safe places all over the planet for young people to educate and empower themselves. In everything we do, we want to bring the world on board, so that a global movement for change can emerge which is bold, inclusive and playful, for all.

Locations

A global movement for change

We currently have five skate schools: three based in Afghanistan, one in Cambodia and two in South Africa. You can find out more about these by visiting the dedicated page for each location on our website.

Cambodia

Afghanistan

South Africa

Skateistan In A Box

The SIAB expansion project will grow to over 50 locations by 2027, utilizing the Skateistan In a Box modular support model, often in collaboration with a local project. This could include a shipping-container classroom, mobile skatepark, syllabuses or unrestricted financial support.

Goodpush

The Goodpush is a portal and platform for the social skate sector, offering resources, funding opportunities and a network for all eligible and willing projects and individuals. It drives inclusion via the Open Boarders Network, Pushing Against Racism and ROLL Models schemes. There are currently 800+ projects currently registered under The Goodpush Alliance.

Financial Statements

South Africa

Cambodia

Afghanistan

Annual Reports

Safeguarding

At Skateistan, we take the safety of everyone involved very seriously. Skateistan's Culture Of Safety covers the physical and mental well-being of all, and we encourage our participants and partners to be part of this process. We provide support through knowledge, training, and awareness of safety, danger, and risk. We provide protective gear for all participants during skate sessions (helmets, shoes, elbow and knee pads).


Skateistan does not tolerate malpractice at any level of our organization, including misuse of funds, corruption, abuse, or any breach of the law.


You can read our Whistleblowing Policy here and you can inform us of any concerns using our online form here.


Where are our funds spent?

All financial statements of Skateistan’s operating entities are individually audited.

The overviews in this report are an iunaudited consolidation of the individual financial statements of the main Skateistan entities. Estimates have been applied to allocate cost, in case data is not available.

How are funds spent?

Administration costs mainly include general administrative expenses, finance and legal costs, and respective salaries. Fundraising costs relate to the Berlin-based fundraising team, which raises money for Skateistan globally. Program costs that relate to running Skateistan’s programs mainly include direct-program costs, respective salaries, rent or building expenses, and the allocation of overall costs to support the programs. For one dollar donated, $0.77 went directly into Skateistan programs in 2022.


Estimates have been applied to allocate cost, in case data is not available.


Donors

Be That Girl Foundation

Comic Relief

Deutsche Postcode Lotterie

Fondation CHANEL

Ford Foundation

International Olympic Committee

Laureus Sport for Good Foundation

Laureus Sport for Good Foundation South Africa

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

The Skatepark Project

The SOL Foundation

U.S. Embassy



Adam and Laila Rossi

Ursimone Wietlisbach Foundation

Citizens of Skateistan

F+B Mancia

The Skateroom

VF Corporation (Vans)

Almost Skateboards

Bennack-Polan Foundation

CHPO Brand

Google Giving Week

Henry Oldfield Trust

InMaat Foundation

New Line Skateparks


Advisory Board

(Members as of report creation date – Aug 2023)

Dr. Indigo Willing

(Co-Chair)

Sociologist and Co-Founder of Consent is Rad

Sunanda Ghosh

(Co-Chair)

Director of Partnership Growth at the Native Organizers Alliance (NOA)

Dr. Simon Adams

President and CEO, Center for Victims of Torture

Jim Thiebaud

Founder of REAL Skateboards and Vice President at DLX Distribution

Dr. Holly Thorpe

Sociologist of Sport and Gender and Physical Culture Associate Professor, University of Waikato



Dr. Neftalie Williams

Sociologist and Assistant Professor at San Diego State University; Founder of “The Nation Skate”


Tony Hawk

Professional Skateboarder and Philanthropist - Founder of The Skatepark Project

Catherine Obrecht

Philanthropist

Lobna Jamal

Political Advisor - Integration and Migration, and Civic Education Expert

Nita Wink

Executive Coach

Mimi Knoop

Professional Skateboarder and Co-Founder of the Women’s Skateboard Alliance

Glen E. Friedman

Renowned artist, photographer, and icon of The SkateBoarding Hall of Fame.

National Fundraising boards

Skateistan U.K

Thomas Callan, Philip Butler, Ben Gregor, Hannah Bailey


Skateistan US

Damon Thorley, Brandon Gomez, Vipe Desai, Zainab Hussaini

Skateistan Netherlands

Nita Wink, Maarten Elshout, Patricia van der Wal

Skateistan Canada

Everett Tetz, Zev Klymochko, Marlene Hielema

Skateistan Australia

Lauren Della Marta, Oliver Percovich, Joeb Northey, Curt Shi


Team Members

Skateistan International

Aisha - Social Media

Christian - Compliance & Finance

Daniel - Design

Eliane - Program Partnerships

Felix - Fundraising

Hala - Co-Executive

James - Fundraising

Janina - Fundraising

Mbali - MEL

Noorzai - ASTO Programs / MEL

OisÍn - Communications

Ollie - Co-Executive

Rhianon - The Goodpush Alliance

Ruby - The Goodpush Alliance


Skateistan Cambodia

Tin - Executive

Skateistan South Africa

Charl - Executive

Skateistan Afghanistan

Zainab - Executive

Awards



  • November 2018 - HundrED Top 100 Global Innovations in Education- Skateistan
  • September 2017 - WeWork Creator Awards- Skateistan (Berlin)
  • April 2015 - Sport for Good Award – Skateistan, Laureus World Sports Academy (UK)
  • November 2014 - Champion of Learning through Play – Skateistan, Ashoka & LEGO Foundation
  • September 2013 - UNICEF Sport for Education – Skateistan, Beyond Sport Awards (Philadelphia, USA)
  • January 2013 - Top 100 NGOs for 2013 – Skateistan, The Global Journal (Switzerland)


  • July 2012 - Innovation through Sport – Skateistan, Beyond Sport Awards (London, UK)
  • October 2011 - Image of the Year – Skateistan, Peace & Sport Awards (Monaco)
  • February 2011 - Most Valuable Documentary – Skateistan, Cinema for Peace Festival (Germany)
  • June 2011 - Social Justice Award – Skateistan (Nominee), Santa Barbara Film Festival (USA)
  • November 2009 - NGO of the Year – Skateistan, Peace & Sport Awards (Monaco)

Contact

International

Berlin

info@skateistan.org

+49 (30) 62876421


Skateistan

Oppelner Strasse 29

10997 Berlin

Germany


Skateistan

South Africa

32 Van Beek Street

New Doornfontein

Johannesburg

+27 11 027 5821


Skateistan

USA

Attn: Damon Thorley, Treasurer

damon@skateistan.org

+1 (720) 220-2840


Skateistan USA

516 N 68th St.

Seattle, WA 98103

USA


Banking Details

Bank

Commerzbank


Bank Address

Potsdamer Strasse 125

10783 Berlin

Germany


Account Name

Skateistan gGmbh


Account Number

138 068 200


Bankleitzahl

100 400 00


IBAN

DE14 1004 0000 0138 0682 00


BIC / Swift Code

COBADEFFXXX


Impressum

Vertreten durch:

Oliver Percovich

Hala Khalaf


Registereintrag:

Eingetragen im Handelsregister.

Registergericht: Amtsgericht Charlottenburg

Registernummer: HRB 143259 B


Umsatzsteuer-ID:

Umsatzsteuer-Identifikationsnummer nach §27a Umsatzsteuergesetz:

DE284612570

Bankverbindung:

DE14100400000138068200

BIC COBADEFFXXX


Verantwortlich für den Inhalt (gem. § 55 Abs. 2 RStV):

Oliver Percovich

Hala Khalaf


Privacy Policy

Your privacy is important to us.

Please find the full privacy policy here.


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