 2020 roll models series maria voth velasco girlsskate aachen 2020 roll models series maria voth velasco girlsskate aachen julen mon 3222021 1219 wed 3242021 1200 posted by the goodpush team we recently spoke with a handful of 2020 roll models and asked them to tell us about their experiences and reflections we believe that they have much to contribute to the 2021 roll models participants who will be selected in coming weeks roll models skateboarding is a positive and empowering activity especially for young girls and women and it s a great tool to develop leadership that s why last year skateistan joined up with women win an ngo that focuses on empowering women through sport to launch the first round of the roll models program the aim of roll models is to empower the next generation of women leaders through leadership training and seed grants a total of 26 womxn were selected to be part of the 2020 roll models program and carry out their own skateboarding projects for girls and women in greece germany the netherlands the uk and belgium they also attended an online leadership camp photo credit birgit franchy about maria voth velasco and girlsskate aachen  when we spoke to maria voth velasco we quickly realized that she is highly passionate when it comes to sharing skateboarding during the roll models 2020 leadership program maria carried out girlsskate aachen which was designed for all girls and women in aachen germany who were interested in skateboarding meeting more girls and connecting with each other pursuing the main objective of creating union and building up a girls skate community in aachen she emphasized inclusion and the integration of every girl womxn making sure her sessions were accessible and welcoming for any skate level during the skate lessons she worked on developing tolerance acceptance and growth she was focused on applying skateboarding as a tool for pushing boundaries mentally personally and physically through her program maria wanted the girls to strengthen their selfconfidence through meeting and skating in public spaces while encouraging an attitude of being comfortable going out with their board wherever she motivated the participants to be brave have fun and reach the goals they set between them   for me it was great i reached out to a lot of participants and i did not expect it but they were really into it at first most of them did not know how to skateboard but then the progress came and i was really proud of it hearing them say yes i can do it was really pleasant and joyful they continued practicing during this time and they are friends now  photo credit babes on board during the sessions maria covered various aspects relating to learning to skate such as learning what skateboarding is about using proper equipment for skateboarding and supporting and helping each other while learning and doing tricks she also covered the physical aspect of the activities for example how a good warm up before every session is important to start the session happy and motivated the location of the regular skate lessons was mainly at an underground spot in aachen known as the unti but she also moved to more locations like other street spots skate parks bowls or a pump track besides the regular skate lessons she had originally organized a challenge moment and a contest at the end of the program where the girls could win something related to skateboarding sadly this final event could not be celebrated due to the covid restrictions since maria also has her own sustainable clothing brand  turtlehorn  she integrated some creative workshops related to skateboarding into her program as well this includes making a batik fabric dyeing workshop a personalized sticker workshop and showing some videos of girls skateboarding as an inspiration before starting the main program these creative workshops took place at the bleiberger fabrik in aachen despite times being challenging and difficult due to covid19 pandemic she found a way to adapt her program to the situation apart from adopting basic sanitary measures such as wearing masks and gloves keeping a safe distance and having hand sanitizer at the sessions and using a broomstick to hold on instead of touching the participants she also integrated the covid skate guidelines  that came out of the goodpush alliance webinars to support social skate projects during the pandemic speaking about the adaptations she made during quarantine maria says   we decided to make some videos in the meantime for the girls so they can practice at home or find a spot and practice there we are also spotchecking and making videos that was helpful and inspiring for them for sure   it was great to hear that the resources from the roll models leadership program helped people like maria to plant these seeds and we hope that this will encourage more and more people to find and share the love for skateboarding   in general the project was great the organizations supported us and also there was a budget for the equipment which was really helpful also the guidelines about how to train people or how to make activities with them how to lead a group those online sessions were really helpful  maria clearly highlighted that she wants to keep working on her project and everything the future has to offer her related to skateboarding this statement reflects the aim and objectives of our roll models program more skateboarding for girls and women hearing this is absolutely joy for us and we are sure that she is going to achieve great things good luck on your journey maria   once you start this kind of project it s hard to stop people texted me asking for more information and advice then i wrote an article about womxn skateboarding which people found really interesting more and more people want to apply for skate courses the groups can t be enormous because i can t control them i have to make some different sessions we are also hoping to do a summer skate camp let s see what happens   when it is over we will meet and skate again  photo credit lars lummerich  