Skateboarding creating change in rural villages

In an attempt to include rural and vulnerable youths, professional skateboarder Dallas Oberholzer set out to nurture sustainable skateboarding environments in the most unlikely places. The project has been running for the last 15 Years.

There has been a few major success stories from past youth that was part of the Youth Movement.

We are proud to be part of this project and also be a part of the change in the Youth’s life.

Learn more about the Valley of a 1000 Hills - a skateboarding volunteering project in South Africa.

Below is one of the success stories that came from the project:

“I have been skateboarding for the past eight years and what attracted me was the desire to learn English. The skate camp we built in the village became the place for me to learn. Growing up with Indigo in the village really boosted my morale at school. The teachers noticed this and appointed me Head Boy in my final year. After a few years of skateboarding I began managing the Indigo Skate Shop in the city, where I realised the dangers today’s youth face. This made me want to do something for my community and I became a coach, which led to my current position of operations manager. I strongly believe that all the adventures I experienced with the project made me realise my potential. In the village you sometimes feel lost and stuck and you just want to get out and do something challenging.

Two of my most memorable moments were meeting Steve, a skateboarder from Johannesburg who was the first guy to give me some real skate shoes. The second was in 2009 where I had the opportunity to travel to Europe and participate in a Kick Fair Tournament in Stuttgart, Germany. We learnt various coaching techniques, which were introduced to the project upon our return, when Tony Hawk visited us for the first time. It’s opportunities like this that inspire us. Through skateboarding I’ve had the opportunity to meet and connect with people both locally and internationally.

My life is not about achieving big cars and fancy clothes - all I want is to be there for my family and make a difference. ” Sihle Ngubane, 23