Intro

SkateQilya ​​is​ ​a​ ​youth​ ​empowerment​ ​program​ ​using​ ​skateboarding​ ​and​ ​art​ ​​to​ ​teach​ ​community building​ ​and​ ​leadership​ ​skills​ ​to​ ​Palestinian​ ​girls​ ​and​ ​boys​ ​in​ ​the​ ​West​ ​Bank.​ Our mission is to create visionary leaders for Palestine’s future and a better world. Launched​ ​in​ ​the​ ​summer​ ​of 2016​ ​as​ ​a​ free ​summer​ ​camp,​ ​SkateQilya​ has grown into a year-round educational program and the first ​co-ed​ ​athletic​ ​program​ ​in​ ​the​ ​northern​ ​part​ ​of​ ​the​ ​West​ ​Bank.

While skateboarding is the container for our program, SkateQilya’s workshops also include photography and video, conversational English, and community building and leadership training. Our programming is centered around values of mutual respect, trust, and shared responsibility. We emphasize peer-to-peer learning so that the relationship between student and teacher becomes integrated, creating a model for self-sustainable community building.

SkateQilya was founded by Mohammed Othman, a Palestinian human rights activist and our Executive Director; Kenny Reed, a retired American professional skateboarder and our Skate Director; and Adam Abel, an American artist and filmmaker, and our Development Director.

Press

CNN: Ramping up the West Bank’s skateboard scene

NBC: Skateboarding Camp Helps Palestinians See Beyond West Bank Walls

Haaretz: How a West Bank Skate Park Offers Palestinian Youth a Safe Haven From Occupation

The Huffington Post: US Pro Skater Hopes To Start Summer Camp For Palestinian Children

Vice Magazine: Inside One of Palestine’s First Skate Camps

Monster Children: The Mini Ramp in the Zoo

Huck: In the West Bank Town of Qalqilya Skateboarding Reigns Supreme

Magasinet Udvikling: De Jagter Asfalt og Aben Himmel

Skateboarding is only the container for our program. Our summer camp curriculum focused on three main activities: Skateboarding, led by Kenny and practiced at the ramp and in a nearby parking lot; photography and video courses led by Adam; and community building and leadership training led by Mohammed. All three of these activities were integrated throughout the camp and required collaboration.

In an area of Palestine where girls and boys do not socialize outside the family home very often, and communities from villages and cities are often segregated, SkateQilya offered a new paradigm. Girls and boys were skating, making art, and problem solving in a safe environment that encouraged and facilitated peer-to-peer learning. By the end of camp, Mohammed, Adam, and Kenny were able to stand back and watch the campers work together naturally and independently.

Skateboarding is only the container for our program. Our summer camp curriculum focused on three main activities: Skateboarding, led by Kenny and practiced at the ramp and in a nearby parking lot; photography and video courses led by Adam; and community building and leadership training led by Mohammed. All three of these activities were integrated throughout the camp and required collaboration.

In an area of Palestine where girls and boys do not socialize outside the family home very often, and communities from villages and cities are often segregated, SkateQilya offered a new paradigm. Girls and boys were skating, making art, and problem solving in a safe environment that encouraged and facilitated peer-to-peer learning. By the end of camp, Mohammed, Adam, and Kenny were able to stand back and watch the campers work together naturally and independently.

Mohammed Othman

Executive Director

Mohammed is a Palestinian non-violent activist, community organizer and film producer with over a decade of experience working for and founding various NGOs across Palestine and traveling around the world speaking on behalf of Palestinian rights.  As youth coordinator with the Stop the Wall campaign, Mohammed worked with students all over Palestine leading community building and leadership programs.  As a tour guide, his clients have included former American President Jimmy Carter and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.  Since leaving his work as a community organizer, Mohammed has been working as a producer for Qalqilya and a line producer for other independent filmmakers working in the West Bank.  As Executive Director, and being on the ground in Palestine, Mohammed is overseeing all aspects of programming.  This includes fulfilling the role as our programs manager, directing our skate instructor and head counselor, and working directly with all the students.

Adam Abel

Development Director

Adam is a New York based artist working with photography, video and film.  His photographs, videos and installations have been exhibited throughout the U.S and internationally.  Adam’s practice for the last six years has focused on exploring narratives from Palestine.  He has spent significant time living and filming in the West Bank for his upcoming feature documentary, Qalqilya, as well as producing a nine-channel video installation called Palestine Interrupted.  Adam taught as an adjunct instructor at Lehman College (CUNY) from 2007-2010.  He completed an MFA in Photography and Related Media at Parsons, The New School For Design in 2012 and received his B.A. from Wesleyan University in 1998.  As Development Director, Adam is overseeing all aspects of fundraising, outreach and programming for SkateQilya.

Kenny Reed

Skate Director

Kenny is a 14-year veteran of professional skateboarding.  Known as the “Traveler” for his work performing and teaching skateboarding in far-off communities around the world that have never experienced or witnessed the art of skating, Kenny now teaches full time at a Waldorf school in Hudson, NY.  His sojourns included Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, Siberia, Palestine…the list goes on!  Kenny’s experience working with children includes making several trips to Afghanistan to work with Skateistan.  Check out Kenny’s latest book about skating in Afghanistan, Some Time to Smile.  Kenny began working with Mohammed and Adam in 2013 when he volunteered to help build the skate ramp in Qalqilya.  As Skate Director, Kenny oversees all aspects of skate programming and partnerships with the skate industry.

Zaid Arikat

Outreach Coordinator

Zaid is a Phoenix based skateboarder and a recent Masters graduate of the The Sports Law and Business program at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. Raised by Palestinian parents in Northern California, Zaid’s first experience in Palestine was volunteering at SkateQilya’s summer camp in 2018. Forging an immediate bond with the rest of the team, Zaid’s work was not done. He has continued to contribute to the organization, including returning in the summer of 2019 to help run the summer camp. As the newest member of the team, Zaid helps SkateQilya with international outreach, media presence, and organize new and innovative workshops.

Omar Hattab

Skate Instructor

Omar is 18 years-old and one of the first skaters from the city of Qalqilya. He has been volunteering as a skate instructor since we created SkateQilya. This year, in coordination with our partners at the Tulkarem Youth Development Resource Center, Omar has a part-time job teaching skateboarding in the nearby city of Tulkarem. This is the first paid skateboarding job for a Palestinian.

Faiza Batta

Head Counselor

Faiza is a 17-year-old high school student and skater from the village of Hajjah, which is 15 miles outside of Qalqilya.  She has been SkateQilya’s head counselor during our summer camps and has become Mohammed’s assistant in organizing the students during the regular year.  In addition to managing all the campers, Faiza was the main translator for Adam and Kenny.  She has been attending the AMIDEAST Access advanced English program for several years and speaks and writes English fluently.  Faiza believes that skateboarding is not just a sport but a lifestyle that promotes self expression, community building and gender equality.

Bradley Kirr

Strategic Partnerships

Bradley is an advocate of skateboarding in every sense of the word doing anything and everything to positively push the sport forward. From designing award winning skateable art like the Tashkeel ramp to producing one of the most viewed skate videos of all time “Waterpark Lockdown” for Redbull he lives and breathes a plank of wood on four wheels. His dream of planting the seed of skateboarding in every country in the world is further realized through his involvement in SkateQilya where he utilizes his network of like minded individuals to drive the program forward.

Ramsey Aburdene

Strategic Partnerships

Ramsey is a DC native of Palestinian descent who has been active in developing skate communities for several years. He has worked closely with Cuba Skate since they were founded in 2011 and has taken several trips to the island to help support the budding skate scene and community there. During SkateQilya’s summer camp, Ramsey participated in all aspects of the programming, including working with Mohammed on the community engagement curriculum. Ramsey works full time as a financial analyst and portfolio manager and currently lives in London, England. As an advisor, Ramsey’s main focus is securing strategic partnerships for SkateQilya.

To inquire about more details, learn about our plans, and find out how you can partner with SkateQilya, contact us directly at partnerships@skateqilya.org.

Adam Abel
Development Director
US +1 917-309-1017

Mohammed Othman
Executive Director
Palestine + 970 (0)59 731 3221

Kenny Reed
Skate Director
US + 1 518 751 6990

Website: skateqilya.org
Facebook: /skateqilya
Twitter: @skateqilya
Instagram: /skateqilya