Skateistan gives Joburg’s young people a safe place and a ‘sense of belonging’

‘We use skateboarding as a tool for social change,” says Charl Jensel, executive director of Skateistan, a skateboarding school in working-class New Doornfontein, Johannesburg, that combines skateboarding with educational support and youth leadership.

Skateistan’s HQ is a funky three-storey container building overlooking a concrete skate park surrounded by greenery. Inside there are offices and classrooms, couches and meeting rooms, a coffee station, walls lined with artworks and posters, skateboards neatly stored. It feels safe and creative – and that’s the point.

“Skateistan provides safe, inclusive spaces where young people can build confidence, resilience and a sense of belonging,” says Jensel. He grew up on the Cape Flats in a poor environment dominated by gangs and drugs. Skateboarding gave him a sense of purpose and belonging, and a path away from street crime and gangs.

Skateistan has been in South Africa since 2016 and is part of a global movement in countries, from Afghanistan to Cambodia, to provide skateboarding and educational pro­grammes to young people in challenging contexts, with a focus on gender inclusion.

The organisation reached more than 64,000 young people nationwide last year – nearly half of whom were girls – through direct programmes, outreach and events.

“Academic support sits at the core of Skateistan South Africa’s model,” says Jensel.

“Through daily homework support classes, students are provided with a structured and supervised environment where they can do school assignments, get guidance from facilitators and build positive study habits.”

With the support of Lenovo, Skateistan’s classrooms have laptops so that students can do research and develop critical digital literacy skills. Integrating skateboarding and skills development is the cornerstone of Skateistan’s year-long programme, which exposes its students to industry-related opportunities in skateboarding and beyond. They are taught practical, transferable skills that connect to real-world opportunities and the broader skateboarding and creative ecosystem.

“For example,” says Jensel, “through a collaboration with Crispy Skateboards, a local skateboard manufacturing company on Fox Street, students are taken on site visits to learn about the full production process, from preparing and pressing wood to assembling finished boards. They learn about manufacturing, entrepreneurship and the value chain in the skate industry, and that helps them understand how their passion can translate into real economic opportunities.”

Skateistan’s youth leadership programme builds further on this – by giving people hands-on learning experiences in things such as starting a business, baking as a micro-enterprise, fashion design and multimedia production.

There is a display of upcycled shoes on a wall in Skateistan’s offices. Shoes take strain in skateboarding: the toes and soles wear out fast, as well as the spot near the small toe and ball of the foot on the front shoe called the ollie zone. The ollie is the most fundamental skateboarding trick, where the rider and the board leap into the air together without the use of the rider’s hands.

Now the shoes have been repurposed into exotic urban creatures with feathers and glitter and social messages. Art is another pillar of Skateistan’s education. Throughout the year, students explore art and community, global cultures and perspectives, and they also engage with the natural and digital sciences.

Skateistan runs dedicated disability inclusion programmes in partnership with local centres and clinics, creating safe and adaptive spaces for children with special needs to take part in both academic and skateboarding activities.

On 12 April, Skateistan is partnering with Jozi My Jozi and the City of Joburg to create a day of open streets and community in the city. On Main Street Sundays in Marshalltown, the street will be closed to cars and open to people to connect, and cycle and skate safely. DM

Bridget Hilton-Barber is a freelance writer who writes for Jozi My Jozi.

This story first appeared in our weekly DM168 newspaper, available countrywide for R35.