Submitted by steve on
Our partnering NGO, PSE (Pour un Sourire d'Enfant), held it’s annual charity event on their campus to benefit their vocational training programs on April 6th and 7th and the Skateistan crew was excited to take part in the festivities.
The grounds were filled with families, friends, students, and visitors from all walks of Phnom Penh life, sharing in the charitable celebration and ushering in the Khmer New Year together. The event was packed with delicious food booths, vendors, crafts, comedy, games, live dance, music, mural making and skateboarding!.
The Skateistan crew was out in full force pushing their talents to new heights. Curious spectators gathered around and cheered on our PSE skaters, staff and friends skate the park. For many, this was the first time they witnessed live skateboarding and the excitement in the air was palpable. Everyone cheered one another on as obstacles were moved and new tricks and lines were tried out on the course.
A few of our new female shredders even dropped in for the first time on the mini-ramp. Students were fearlessly grinding and sliding the rails and launching off the jump ramp over obstacles. The advanced PSE skateboard monitors also contributed their visual art skills by tracing the outlines of skateboards onto the skate park walls and painting their very own custom skateboard graphic, complete with their signatures. The French graffiti artist known as Theo also showed up to lend his support and spray paint skills by throwing up “SKATE PSE” in stylish script.
The charity party was a huge success, not only for the more traditional vocational programs offered at PSE, but for educating the public on the positive impact skateboarding is having on the lives of youth. After all, our vocational goal is to have some of our PSE shredders help teach and run the Skateistan program in Cambodia one day soon: a lofty goal, but one that is becoming a closer reality with each passing ollie.
Photos by Skateistan staff and Sam Jam.
