Updated 3/15/22
Hi everyone! We are fundraising again for our Edu-Skate Program! We need $8085 to finish funding 2022 (updated goal to $15,124 to reflect).
This crucial element of the Freedom Skatepark provides skate classes to our young people with a focus on personal and community development. The program is a free of charge life-skill based skateboarding program with sessions focusing on:
- Postive Mental Attitude
- Awareness
- Confidence
- Respect
- Cooperative Learning
- Resilience
- Perseverance
- Supportive Attitude
- Courage
- Creativity
- Team Work
Through this program we are able to offer skate classes to those within the local community and also bring in groups from outside of the community! The Edu-Skate Program also provides funding to employ our young people as skate teachers and assistant teachers and provides jobs to others within the community to manage the skatepark.
As always, any donation is greatly appreciated. Our success is owed to your continued love and support and we are so incredibly grateful.
~Freedom Skatepark Family
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Jamaica’s first street skatepark and the associated youth centre are finally completed!
Thank you to everyone that played a part, either as individual donors, construction volunteers on the ground, or simply friends and supporters of the initiative. This dream wouldn’t have been possible without the generous contributions of people from all over the world!
While we’ve gotten far, the work is not done, and so today we would again like to invite supporters of the Freedom Skatepark Project to lend a helping hand.
What are we looking to achieve?
Developing a Community Garden and Planting Fruit Trees for the Local Youth:
Skateboarding encourages a healthy lifestyle and we believe this can go beyond exercise. Through the development of a community garden and associated programs we hope to educate young people on eating healthy as well as ecological farming practices, and this is where our community garden will come into play.
Providing an After School Homework Support Program:
As many of our children are challenged with access to good Wi-Fi and teachers during this time, we will be providing a homework club to allow them to access the internet and have a tutor on site to help with homework for core subjects. Update: with your help we started the homework program! It has now been adopted by Sandals Foundation!!!! Seprod Foundation also contributes by providing our children with snacks and beverages after they have done their school work.
Supporting the Long Term Implementation of Youth Programs:
Concrete Jungle Foundation's Edu-Skate is up and running in Jamaica! This program leverages skateboarding as a tool for personal and community development. The program is a free of charge life-skill based skateboarding program, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive!
- Registered students: 156
- Average age: 11 years
old
- Number of class given: 46 (Season 1) + 20 (Season 2) =
66
- Gender ratio:
- S1: 41 girls (32%) and 88 boys
(68%)
- S2: 44 girls (28%) and 112 boys (72%)
The Edu-Skate Program runs in 12 week cycles. Each week introduces either a social skill, or a skill based on personal competence that contributes to positive personal development. The students are then presented with a skateboarding activity/ challenge to get real-life experience with this skill. Skills focused on include:
- Postive Mental Attitude
- Awareness
- Confidence
- Respect
- Cooperative Learning
- Resilience
- Perseverance
- Supportive Attitude
- Courage
- Creativity
- Team Work
4 local teachers are employed through this program and teach every weekday under guidance of CJF's Program's Director. The children are progressing incredibly fast! We are so excited to watch them grow not just in their skating skills but in their character as well!
Freedom Skatepark is free to the public and will also host the implementation of Flipping Youth’s Youth Centre which will provide a platform for members of the skatepark association to earn a wage through teaching workshops, hosting creative events and trialling their business ideas.
Our charitable initiatives are run by non-profit organizations, but they do cost to maintain. Please help the children retain access to these programs!
Thank you for your support! This means so much to us and will mean so much to the many children’s lives who are impacted in such a positive way.
Learn more about the Freedom Skatepark here: freedomskateparkja.org
