 highlights from the 2022 roll models leadership camp highlights from the 2022 roll models leadership camp rubymateja mon 5302022 1151 fri 6032022 1200 posted by the goodpush team this past may 20 women and nonbinary skaters from across europe came together in berlin to connect and share their project ideas before launching them this summer this past may 20 women and nonbinary skaters from across europe came together in berlin to connect and share their project ideas before launching them this summer after two years of adjustments due to covid19 we were finally able to host the roll models leadership camp inperson and reap the benefits of connecting offscreen   introductions programme design we kicked off the first day of the leadership camp with a griptape design workshop with the question in mind what does inclusivity mean to you each roll model had the opportunity to explore this topic in a creative way while getting to know each other at the same time in the afternoon we covered the fundamentals of skateboarding programme design including an introduction to monitoring evaluation by women win and a child protection workshop run by safeguarding virtuoso vuyo cekiso from the skateistan south africa team rounding off the first day we had a brainstorming session in small groups to identify the common barriers affecting participation in skateboarding programs community engagement and outreach and retention of participants we rotated the groups until everyone had contributed to the topics and shared their thoughts on best practices and solutions to challenges  skate games inclusion skate lesson design skate games are a perfect way to warm up build connections within a group and encourage participants to get excited for the lesson ahead what better way to kickpush into the second day of the leadership camp we began by asking the roll models which of them are already implementing skate games within their sessions what kinds of games they play and why they think they are beneficial denia and erato from free movement skateboarding athens shared that skate games can be a great way to engage a large group of participants all together allowing sessions to run more smoothly when working in busy spaces lucia from skatesencia berlin added that they are also a great way to work with a group with varying skateboarding abilities so that everyone can interact and build their skills while taking part in the same activity the following three workshops were all about inclusion focusing on how we can ensure our skateboarding programs are welcoming for all communities and how to ensure everyone feels comfortable once they are in your teaching space ilaria naef 20212022 roll model and wcmx rider led a workshop on inclusion for people with disabilities demonstrating how we can make skateparks more accessible and help to raise awareness of adaptive skateboarding and wcmx in the afternoon we had the flinta inclusion workshop led by previous roll models elja krutzfeld and anabel garcia solidariskate flinta is the german abbreviation for women lesbians intersex nonbinary trans and agender people in the first part of the workshop they focused on teaching the different concepts and terminology of flinta and lgbtqia in the second part they held a group discussion on how we can be better allies to skaters that are part of the lgbtqi spectrum including using inclusive language and clear visual messaging thanks to this project the city is calling me for events to promote gender equality in sports women initiatives and empowerment skate inclusivity and neighborhood activations i could have never done that without roll models thank you so much lena germanese with social skateboarding projects popping up in all corners of the globe more and more initiatives are beginning to work with refugees asylum seekers and migrants reaping the mental health benefits and social cohesion that skateboarding programs can bring ruby mateja free movement skateboarding skateistan and shiba amiri skateistan stockholm skate nation facilitated a workshop to discuss the intersectional barriers that might affect displaced people from attending skateboarding programs and to brainstorm practical solutions to tackle these issues continuing the day s theme of inclusion we wrapped up the second day with a workshop on skate lesson design where we asked the roll models to design a lesson plan responding to various scenarios focused on the inclusion of marginalized groups a common thread throughout these sessions on inclusion was the importance of asking consent when it comes to offering support to people from marginalized communities for example  offering to help someone in a wheelchair if they would like a push to get to the top of a ramp rather than assuming that you are welcome to do so thank you so much to everyone who attended and shared their ideas experiences and hearts throughout the five days we were reminded of just how important it is to come together in person to share and exchange not even a month has passed since we met and we are already seeing the impact of the knowledge and inspiration gained from the leadership camp now the 2022 roll models will receive their seed grants and get started on running their own social skateboarding projects focused on the inclusion of girls women and nonbinary skaters onwards and upwards in the words of iaria naef we all have a space in the skateboarding community and it is possible to make a change in your local community even though it may seem scary or too hard in the beginning  