

Most of us come in contact with concrete thousands of times each day. It forms underappreciated and forgotten pathways that ease our daily routines. Roads and sidewalks make our commutes simple, but are they transformative? Can concrete change lives?

SkatePal is shining light on the power of concrete. This non-profit organization works with communities throughout Palestine, positively impacting the young people through the art of skateboarding. With more than half of Palestinians under 21 years old, SkatePal speaks to the youth movement and uses the sport to forge connections — influencing and encouraging kids to witness the endless possibilities created by urethane wheels rolling over curved cement.

Founder of SkatePal, Charlie Davis, found himself in Palestine in 2006 — where he taught English after graduating from college. He brought his skateboard and caught the eyes of kids in the area, who swore there must be magnets in his shoes. Skateboarding was extremely new to Palestine, and he was part of the revolution.

“I didn’t come at it from a NGO, ‘Where can we help in the world?’ type way,” says Davis. “I just did it because I happened to have gone there after school on someone’s recommendation, happened to have a skateboard, and just happened to see the kids were interested. I thought, ‘I’ll bring back some boards and see how it grows.’ It could equally have been anywhere in the world where there wasn’t skating.”

Davis spent the next years studying Arabic and teaching in Tunisia. Once he felt comfortable with the language and Palestinian culture, he thought, “I can do something big.” SkatePal was established in 2013. It has continued to grow ever since, regularly bringing volunteers from all over the world to build skateparks and provide skateboarding lessons, as well as deliver new equipment to the youth across the West Bank.

SkatePal’s first major project was a four-foot mini ramp. After it was built, they gave lessons to the local children every day for eight weeks. The interest was undeniable. The organization then built Palestine’s first concrete skatepark in the summer of 2014. An additional concrete skate park was built in October 2015.

Each of these parks are in different areas of the West Bank, spreading the sport further and further across the region.

“We’ve seen in Asira it’s become like a community spot for families,” Davis says. “You’ve got the skatepark for kids who come to skate and you’ve got a play park for smaller kids and their parents come up and they’ll have coffee, chat with you, make some food.”