Skateistan founder Oliver Percovich is changing lives with his non-profit organisation

IN 2007 Oliver Percovich arrived in Kabul with a skateboard. Now he runs a charity connecting children with education through skating. Read his amazing story.

IT’S a job plenty of people would dream of, and it’s not your typical nine-to-five.

Oliver Percovich is the founder of Skateistan, a non-profit organisation that uses skateboarding to connect with children around the world.

It’s something he started after following his girlfriend to Kabul to work as a researcher.

However stepping out for a quick skate one night instantly captivated the local kids and led to a life of its own.

“Nobody had seen a skateboard before,” said Mr Percovich, who is in Sydney to speak at the TED festival this weekend.

The organisation was founded in 2007 after Mr Percovich moved to Kabul. Pic: Skateistan

Mr Percovich will speak at TEDx Sydney this weekend.

“That still would happen if you went to most places in Afghanistan right now there would be kids around you. It’s a fun medium to make a connection, once that connection is there, more can be built on top of it.”

Since the charity started in 2007, it’s helped educate more than 1000 students, three quarters of whom are in Afghanistan.

The idea received support from a range of countries. Pic: Skateistan

The idea quickly took off and with a team of volunteers and a host of international donations, they have managed to build impressive indoor sports facilities on land donated by the Afghan Olympic committee.

“We just did it on a shoestring for a really long time. At a certain point aid agencies saw what was going on, it was something led by youth that people were really involved in. It’s hard to ignore hundreds of smiling kids,” he said.

With support from Canada, Australia, Denmark, Norway and Germany, as well as skate brands that sent shoes, boards and pads, the idea has grown into a huge force that educates and empowers children in the community.

Mr Percovich said Kabul is a rewarding but difficult place to work. Pic: Skateistan

“We use skateboarding as a hook. We do one hour of skateboarding and one hour of class [and] use creative activities to level the playing field between more and less literate [children].”

Mr Percovich said around half of the children involved are working in the streets already, and the group offers accelerated learning, youth leadership and programs for disabled children.

He said Afghanistan is a tough place to live and work, with security a constant concern.

“But there has to be a ray of hope and skating is a ray of hope and the hard things are worth pulling through.”

The organisation has a second centre in Cambodia. Pic: Skateistan

Overall though, Mr Percovich said he’s been “totally flabbergasted” by the success of the organisation.

“I’m just really dedicated to giving these children even more opportunities, it’s a really exciting thing to be part of,” he said.

“I’d love to inspire people to go out and take action but do your homework first and make sure it’s something really needed and really wanted by local population. If those things are in place, that’s where it’s got the best chance of being a sustainable and a permanent success.

Oliver Percovich will speak about his ideas at TEDx Sydney this weekend. Tweet your support @Skateistan or make a donation at Skateistan.