<h4><span><span><span><strong><span><span>Making Skateboarding More Inclusive</span></span></strong></span></span></span></h4>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>On day two we split into groups to discuss FLINTA* inclusion (German abbreviation for women, lesbians, intersex, non-binary, trans and agender people) and the inclusion of refugees/displaced communities in skateboarding programs. With displaced communities around the world growing all the time, and the myriad mental health and wellbeing challenges this brings, many social skateboarding projects are beginning to focus more on the inclusion of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>We spoke a lot about the barriers that may affect people from these communities joining skateboarding programs – such as living situations, lack of opportunities, unstructured routines, or even fear to move around cities/leave the home. In fact, we saw in both workshops that when it comes to creating safe spaces for displaced communities and those from FLINTA* groups, building trust is an essential part of the work. Moreso, extra outreach often needs to be done to ensure that these communities know they are welcome, that your team not only reflects the diversity it wants to see, but is sensitive to the issues marginalized groups may face. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
