These are the kids of SISP’s Kovalam Skate Club, a social skateboarding program with around 40 dedicated young skateboarders between 5 and 17 years old from families living Below Poverty Line.

What does Kovalam Skate Club do and why does it matter?

Providing free skateboard lessons every day as an addition to the Free Second Chance Educational program of Sebastian Indian Social Projects, short SISP, has an immense impact on the motivation of the children in the program to attend school.

SISP was founded in 1996 to uplift the quality of life of the people living in the angler communities in the coastal area around the slums of Vizhinjam Harbor in Kerala. The children participating in SISP are school drop-outs who instead of attending the public school went to help and work with their families or got involved with street gangs. SISP gives them a second chance for their educational development and tries to reintegrate them into the school system by providing a free educational program on a daily basis that also includes two nutritious meals a day. Often however, making a bit of money a day, or peer pressure, will win over attending class, and the long-term goal of a better future seems too far away.

Here is where the Kovalam Skate Club comes into play. Giving the children the opportunity to get free skateboard lessons after school in the small skatepark built right at the school facility, provides the necessary motivation for many to come to school every day, as No School No Skateboarding is their rule. Yet it is not only the fun and exercise that the kids love about just grabbing a board and rolling, skateboarding is also something they can be passionate about, be in the moment, and grow as a person. It also teaches them important values like being in a team, or to try again after you fall, which makes them develop into independent and responsible individuals. In this way, Kovalam Skate Club together with SISP hopes to create social and economic change and better futures for the kids!

How can you help?

Fortunately, Kovalam Skate Club has an ever-growing number of children wanting to skateboard, which is great! Yet, this often leaves the Club with a lack of equipment (boards, but also shoes and protection gear).

In order to be able to offer more kids the chance to skateboard, we want to raise £500 to buy new equipment for the Club. At the weekends, Kovalam Skate Club opens up also to all kids in the local the area, also the ones from other schools than SISP. During these times, the club has around 40 girls and boys skating. With the money raised we are aiming to buy new equipment including boards, helmets, protection gear and shoes. We really feel that SISP and Kovalam Skate Club deserves this support and attention to keep going on and to support the kids and the local community, as the Club makes a huge difference on many levels.

One good example of the positive impact of SISP and Kovalam Skate Club is Alan, presented in this VIDEO