Olympics In Focus: Thanda supports underserved youth through skateboarding
August 6, 2021
In recognition of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, we are taking a special focus on sport for development organizations who are making a change in their communities through new or newly reintroduced Olympic sports. This week, we are highlighting skateboarding and therefore caught up with South Africa's Thanda. In 2018 they received a Xiaomi Community Recognition Grant at the Beyond Sport Global Awards.
Co-founders Angela Larkan and Tyler Howard established non-profit Thanda in 2008 in Mtwalume, rural KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. The region's high rates of unemployment and food insecurity, as well as poor educational opportunities, prevent children from reaching their full potential. Using skateboarding, Larkan and Howard created the organisation to provide a safe haven for affected youth and empower people to create positive change. It employs a holistic approach that combines the values and freedom of skateboarding with hands-on experiences and inquiry-based learning to build Five Game-Changing Skills: self-esteem, perspective, empathy, critical thinking and creativity.
Skateboarding’s mainstream acceptance has reached a new level with its debut as a new Olympic sport at the Tokyo 2020 Games. Olympic skateboarding is split into two disciplines – street and park and the competition has seen some amazing young female powerhouse skateboarders. These young skaters from Japan and Britain soared to victory in the women's park competition. Japan's Sakura Yosozumi and 12-year-old Kokona Hiraki took gold and silver, while Britain's 13-year-old Sky Brown took bronze. Japan’s Yuto Horigome, and Momiji Nishiya, were the first to take the gold in the competition.
Thanda shared their excitement about the joy and creativity skateboarding is bringing to the Olympic games and talked about bringing in the learnings and advice from Canadian Olympic skater, Andy Anderson, to their participants. “He talks about the need to try to beat people as an athlete as creating a sort of moral dilemma for him as a skater. He sees his role as a skater on the world stage as being more about encouraging creativity and reflecting the power of skateboarding than he does about getting a medal or asserting Canadian dominance.”
Thanda uses skateboarding because it requires “you to develop an internal sense of motivation, accomplishment and accountability; it celebrates individuality and promotes confidence and resilience.” It also allows participants to set their own goals and be responsible for their own actions.
These values are closely tied to Thanda’s vision and mission for its education initiatives. Since we last caught up with Thanda, they have incorporated “My First Skateboard” into their after-school curriculum as well as starting their Learning at Home Programme. The programme brings the same lessons and values of ‘skate culture’ into the children’s homes through a storybook themed education curriculum that ensures the learning process is always fun.
“One of our favourite storybooks in our after-school Programme is “My First Skateboard” by Karl Watson. With this book, we dive into discussion questions like: Why is Jonas’s community important for his new adventures? Why is it important to welcome all Thanda children to skate at the skatepark, no matter who they are? How can you be welcoming to different people in your life?”
This ‘skate culture’ that is brought into people’s homes, is fostered by Fortune, one of Thanda’s Skate Mentors. This culture makes all the kids aware that everyone is enjoying the park together and the better skaters make space for the younger and less experienced skaters.
“Although this can be frustrating when trying to land a difficult trick, one of the core lessons of skateboarding that most of our kids have absorbed is that we need to share and encourage each other.”
This is unique in the world of sport Thanda shares, as although many sports foster perseverance, teamwork and a myriad of other helpful life skills, most competitive sports cannot escape the fact that they are fundamentally rooted in competition and dominance over other people. They see a benefit far beyond community and camaraderie with children developing their self-esteem, tenacity, creativity and problem-solving skills as they look for new opportunities on the ramps and various features of the park.
When COVID-19 reached South Africa in March 2020, Thanda were forced to close their community centre and skatepark. However, they were able to bring the lessons skating can teach children in the skatepark to their homes. They began a Learning at Home Programme, where the children received a monthly activity pack filled with a storybook, discussion questions about the characters in the story and activities themed around the storybook.
With the relaxation on restrictions, Sandile, the head of Thanda's Weekend Programme, shared, "when we opened the skatepark after COVID-19 lockdowns, the response from children has been excellent! There is true culture and passion amongst our skaters, who don't miss a moment to be out in the park, and we have seen many younger children getting up on their boards and improving their own set of skills. Fortune is here every Saturday and Sunday, setting an example of respect, resilience and confidence on and off the board.”
The skatepark at Thanda has become a huge hit in communities outside of Mtwalume. They get visitors from Durban and Port Shepstone who share the skate park. “We appreciate the different cultures and perspectives that they bring to our park and the encouragement and motivation that the better skaters share with our kids who are less experienced.”
Thanda recently received the donation of a minibus and are now able to take their skaters to other communities to explore their creativity and learn from other skaters. “We are very excited about the minibus we recently received as a donation to Thanda, this means that we are able to take our more avid skaters to Durban to be immersed in other skate cultures and roll with other skate communities, broadening our children’s experiences.”
Skateboarding at Tokyo 2020 ran from 25 July to 5 August.