“If you want to start solving problems in Afghanistan, in my mind, you have to start by building trust, and that was happening through these girls that had a chance to skateboard, and make friends with girls the same age and from different backgrounds.” -Oliver Percovich, Founder of Skateistan
Oliver Percovich is the Founder and Director of Skateistan, an award-winning international organization with Skate Schools and programs running in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa. Skateistan’s programs focus on girls and children from low-income backgrounds. Through its innovative programs, Skateistan aims to give young people the opportunity to become leaders for a better world.
A group of girls from Skateistan were recently the subjects of an Oscar award-winning short documentary, Learning to Skateboard in an Active Warzone (if you're a girl).
In this episode of Stories of Transformation, we get the backstory from Oliver (who appropriately goes by "Ollie"), on how he went from skating just as a fun and challenging hobby, to founding an international organization that is transforming the lives of at-risk youth, especially young girls, through skateboarding and arts-based education.
His story shows us the powerful effects of giving young girls from all different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds a chance to freely express themselves in a safe environment. It also reminds us that you don't need to be a doctor to save lives--you just need to be authentic in what you love and share it with the world.
View full show notes with link to the film (available only in the US): https://www.baktashahadi.com/shownotes/learning-to-skate-in-an-active-warzone-with-oliver-percovich
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Podcast produced by Dana Drahos: http://danadrahos.com/
Podcast edited by Joseph Gangemi: http://linkedin.com/in/joseph-gangemi-b850b41a2
Social Media managed by Tinli Yarrington: http://www.facebook.com/TinliYarringtonVA