<p dir="ltr"><strong>Overcoming fear</strong></p>

<p dir="ltr">When parents first hear about skateboarding, it’s common for them to be worried about their kids getting hurt. In the early days of programming in Cambodia, some parents requested that their children participate in our creative education classes but not to take part in the skateboarding side of our programs.<br />
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<p dir="ltr">To tackle this, our team in Cambodia holds events for parents and the wider community so they can see exactly what we do at Skateistan and how we keep our students safe. All of our students are provided with shoes, helmets, knee and elbow pads and wrist guards before they skate and they all take part in safety lessons in the skatepark, learn of the importance of taking turns and listening to their educator’s instructions. By doing this, we don’t remove risk entirely, but we help our students to navigate it by assessing a situation, deciding on whether they’re ready to attempt something new and by<strong> </strong>understanding what steps they can take to keep themselves safe. When parents witness all of this, they often feel reassured about their children taking part in Skateistan programs.&nbsp;</p>
