The world’s first tuk tuk skate ramp
The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation proudly supports Skateistan Cambodia, a project that uses skateboarding as a tool for empowering youth, to create new opportunities and the potential for change.
Skateistan Cambodia uses innovative, youth-led programming that builds confidence, trust and social capital among children. It uses "the hook" of skateboarding to connect kids with education. They provide opportunities for education, leadership, and creative thinking that help break the cycles of poverty and exclusion.
Last month, this Laureus-supported project took things to another level and brought sport and innovation together. The Skateistan tuk tuk skate ramp is the first of its kind in the world. It is an amazing transformation from what was originally a tuk tuk (the common mode of transport in Cambodia) to an actual mobile skate park. With two curved ramps, one flat ramp plus a mini box, the whole set up is perfect for progression and has the young skaters extremely excited.
The new tuk tuk skate ramp will be used to develop the Skateistan Cambodia Street Outreach program, to connect with street-involved children who come from very low-income families in some of Cambodia’s most at-risk communities.
Indeed, Cambodia has the youngest population in Southeast Asia and engagement in child labour and street involvement is one of the biggest social issues for youth, as it also makes them vulnerable to the influence of drugs, trafficking and abuse. By using skateboarding as a tool for engagement, Skateistan is able to provide better opportunities for the future of street working children.
The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation addresses social challenges through a worldwide programme of sports related community development initiatives, such as Skateistan Cambodia. Since its inception, Laureus has raised over €60 million for projects which have helped to improve the lives of millions of young people. The mission of the Laureus Foundation is to use sport as the means to combat some of the world’s toughest social challenges facing young people today such as juvenile crime, gangs, HIV/AIDS, discrimination, social exclusion, landmines awareness and health problems like obesity.
