The Skateistan Story - By Tati Kolina

In  2014, I accidentally stumbled onto Skateistan: Four Wheels and a Board in Kabul documentary and it changed my life. The narrative begins in 2009, when Australians Oliver Percovich and Sharna Nolan brought a couple of old boards to an empty city fountain in Kabul, Afganistan. The film tells Skateistan’s story and how a group of skaters bridge ethnic-, religious and socio-economic barriers to bring hope to the children of a war-torn country – with the help of four wheels and a board. 

Afghan Girls Skateboarding

As I watched the documentary, I realized that skateboarding can be used anywhere as a medium for breaking the barriers and building communities. I decided to to start our own local organization for girls called Skate Girls Tribe  (SGT). 

Skate Girls Tribe at Go Skateboarding Day 2014 in Washington DC

SGT is an informal not-for-profit organization which supports a network of female athletes, artists, and influencers in action sports culture. SGT provides girls with an open environment for skateboarding and a community as a forum for sharing social and personal issues that they face; what it’s like being girls in the skating community to challenges they may face in school and at home.

Skateboarding at Roll Skate Shop in Olney, MD

I also wanted to show support for Skateistan and organized a series of fundraisers and film screenings of Skateistan: Four Wheels and a Board in Kabul documentary in the Washington Metropolitan area.

Mini cruisers painted by DC artists at silent auction in Tropicalia, DC

First fundraiser and film screening took place at Roll Skate Shop in Olney, MD. It did not bring very many people but we enjoyed watching the film, meeting new people, and skating at an old warehouse surrounded by amazing works of local artists including murals by Alex Merritt. 

Art work by Alex Merritt at silent auction in Tropicalia, DC

Second fundraiser was at Tropicalia in Washington DC. Several local artists donated their art and time and we had a great turn out. We watched the documentary, had Q&A session about Skateistan which was followed by live music, dancing, and silent auction. 

Watching Skateistan at Tropicalia, DC

We were able to raise $945 which was donated to Skateistan.

Bryan Ridgeway, Tati Kolina, Patti McGee, Di Dootson Rose, Darren Harper at Old City Farm, Washington DC 

Final film screening took place at Old City Farm in Washington DC. We had surprise visitors including Skateistan's Global Skateboarding Adviser, Bryan Ridgeway, and action sports female legends Patti McGee and Di Dootson Rose who later became my mentor.

Tati Kolina and Bryan Ridgeway

Bryan Ridgeway presented me with a signed copy of Skateistan: The Tale of Skateboarding in Afghanistan book. It was one of the most memorable days in my life.

Thank you letter from Oliver Petrovitch

Several months later I got a letter from Oliver Petrovitch, the founder and executive director of Skateistan, thanking us for the donation.

Finding A Line: Skateboarding, Music, and Media at the Kennedy Center hosted by sPACYcLOUd and Skate Girls Tribe

Since 2014, Skate Girls Tribe participated at many local skateboarding events and organized our own surf and snowboard camps for girls. In 2015 SGT was honored to host a day at Finding a Line: Skateboarding, Music, and Media festival at The Kennedy Center dedicated to female skateboarders. Several hundreds female shredders from all over USA made it to our event and we made it into the history of skateboarding.

Female leaders from Afghanistan visited Skate Girls Tribe in Rockville, MD

In 2016, we we were visited by a group of female leaders from Afghanistan. We greeted our guests at Rockville skatepark in Maryland. We skateboarded, made Peace bracelets for each other, sang Beatles songs, and embraced each other's energies. We had language barriers but, at the end of the day, words were not necessary. We spoke with our hearts.

Exchanging Peace bracelets with our friends from Afghanistan 

As Skate Girls Tribe grows, we continue providing female shredders with new opportunities in our area. On March 26, we are having girls only skateboarding session at Bethesda Boards in Maryland. We will have a mini skateboarding jam and watch Skateistan: Four Wheels and a Board in Kabul. In July, we are organizing Skate Girls Tribe annual surf camp at Cape May, New Jersey. We are also planning wearable technology classes for our young female engineers and glass blowing classes for these with artistic inclinations. There is nothing in the world that girls can't do and we are here to help make it happen.

And it all started with four wheels and a board. Thanks Skateistan!

Thank you to everyone who helped us along the way:

Oliver Percovich
Sharna Nolan
Skateistan
Aleksey Nazarov
Alex Merritt
Jim Thomson & Tropicalia
Evvie, Roll Skate Shop
Di Dootson Rose
Patti McGee
Bryan Ridgeway
Yoshi Tanenbaum
Claudia Olivos & OlivosARTstudio.com
Amy Lauriano
Ekaterina Nekrasova
Angelina Lauriano
Old City Farm 
Kia Green
Darren Harper