<p><strong>Here at Skateistan we always strive to get better at what we do. We don’t have all the answers, but when challenging situations arise, we try to be proactive, turn problems into solutions and learn from our experiences. What Skateistan learned about…is a mini series here on our blog, which shares what we’re learning and how it helps us improve. In this edition, we examine the way that engaging with the communities around our Skate Schools has helped us to run more effective programs. </strong></p>

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<p dir="ltr">When we tell people for the first time that we aim to empower children through skateboarding and education, sometimes people look a bit blank. It’s not the most obvious mechanism for developing future leaders and for people who don’t know much about skateboarding, it can seem like a strange idea. Skateboarding was relatively unknown in Afghanistan and Cambodia when we first started out, so we’ve had to work hard to engage the communities where we work, and to help people to see the potential and benefit of what we do in our Skate Schools.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr">Our interactions with local communities are one of the keys to our success and we are fortunate that the communities around our Skate Schools have always supported us in what we’re trying to do. However, this relationship didn’t develop&nbsp; overnight. It’s all thanks to the hard work of our Community Educators. With one in each of our Skate Schools, their job is to help the community around our Skate Schools understand what we do, and inform them of how their kids would benefit from Skateistan programs. Here’s a few examples of how our community engagement has evolved over the years.&nbsp;</p>
