SkateQilya

SkateQilya has existed since 2016, but has struggled to be officially registrered in palestine due to political tensions and changing levels of conflict in the region. A major concern has been safety of personal data being approved by political parties with ties to Israel. Furthermore an palestinian registration would entail unreasonable demands, that would limit SkateQilyas way of functioning. SkateQilya is best described as an grassroot organization, that has survived on private donations from the international skating community. To function SkateQilya has been internationally registrered in the US, with American friends of SkateQilya. Adam Abel US +1 917-309-1017 and Kenny Reed US + 1 518 751 6990. With the changing Global politics of the US SkateQilya has now also been registered in Norway. Contact in Norway is Anna +4748254974. Short description of SkateQilya Its​ ​a​ ​youth​ ​empowerment​ ​program​ ​using​ ​skateboarding​ ​and​ ​art​ ​​to​ ​teach​ ​community building​ ​and​ ​leadership​ ​skills​ ​to​ ​Palestinian​ ​girls​ ​and​ ​boys​ ​in​ ​the​ ​West​ ​Bank.​ While skateboarding is the container for the program, SkateQilya’s workshops also include photography and video, conversational English, and community building and leadership training. The activities are centered around values of mutual respect, trust, and shared responsibility. They emphasize peer-to-peer learning so that the relationship between student and teacher becomes integrated, creating a model for self-sustainable community building.