Skateistan has spent 18 years supporting girls, refugees, and displaced youth through skateboarding and education. Funding cuts now put that work at risk.
For nearly two decades, Skateistan has operated on the principle that play is a birthright.
Founded in Kabul in 2008, the women-led NGO has grown into a global network of skateboarding schools and community programs spanning over 50 locations across five continents. Its mission is to use skating as a gateway to education, safety, and self-expression for children living in some of the world’s most challenging circumstances.
Skateistan works primarily with girls, displaced youth, refugees, children with disabilities, and young people excluded from formal education systems. In many of the regions where it operates, safe recreational and learning spaces are rare.
For participants, weekly skate sessions are more lifelines than extracurricular activities. They offer structure and mentorship, alongside a sense of control, belonging, and self-belief.
“Skating gives young people a sense of freedom and belonging, often for the first time in their lives. It builds persistence and confidence in a very real, physical way: you fall, you get back up, you try again.“
Denia Kopita, a team member at Skateistan, has seen firsthand why skateboarding resonates with marginalized youth. “Skating gives young people a sense of freedom and belonging, often for the first time in their lives,” she said. “It builds persistence and confidence in a very real, physical way: you fall, you get back up, you try again.”
Today, this work is under threat. Skateistan is facing funding cuts for the first time in its history. A combination of rising costs and increasingly fragile funding has created a critical shortfall, while demand for Skateistan’s programs has not diminished.
Despite continuing its programs through precarious moments, including maintaining operations in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s return to power, the organization now confronts a widening funding gap that could force it to reduce vital programs by the end of the year.
Skateistan is midway through its global fundraising campaign, Never Stop Pushing, unfolding at a moment of heightened urgency.
“The needs of the young people we work with haven’t gone away. Without closing this gap, we’re looking at immediate consequences.”
This December marks what Kopita described as “one of the most difficult moments we’ve faced in our 18 years of work.” She noted that Skateistan is facing a funding gap of over $300,000. “The needs of the young people we work with haven’t gone away,” she said. “Without closing this gap, we’re looking at immediate consequences.”
The impact of scaling back would reach far beyond logistics, affecting the lives and futures of thousands of young people. For many participants, scaling back would mean losing one of the few environments where girls are encouraged to take up space and young people are offered safety, structure, and room to grow.
“What’s at stake is the future of young people who deserve more than survival,” said Kopita. As the Never Stop Pushing campaign continues, Skateistan reminds us that these spaces cannot disappear when they are needed most.
All images courtesy of Skateistan.
