Cape Town: The Recreation and Parks Department of the City of Cape Town has successfully hosted a skateboarding workshop for over 50 young people from Langa in collaboration with Indigo Youth. The workshop was arranged with the purpose to follow up a pilot session which was organised the previous weekend at the Langa Indoor Sports Complex’s pump track.
The workshop was held this past weekend at the City Bowl Park and participants were selected from those who attended the initial session and demonstrated basic skating skills. It proved the demand for structured skateboarding sessions in the area. They paved the way for a potential formalised programme that will continue to empower and engage young people through sport.
Reportedly, the participants stepped on skateboards to flip, grind and pop with the professional skaters on hand to guide them.
The Indigo Youth Movement and Outlangish teams who initiated the concept, provided free lessons, skateboards and an electrifying atmosphere.
Langa Pump Track has become a vital recreational space for young people in the area and surrounds. It is not a dedicated skateboarding facility that provides an accessible and inclusive space for wheeled sports, including skateboarding.
Furthermore, many people participated in the initiative. Most out of them were already attending the programme at the facility by making it a natural starting point for the engagement.
Recreation and Parks has been actively building relationships with external partners more than the past five years. The department is particularly focusing on development of the youth. This collaboration is the latest example of how the City of Cape Town continues to strengthen the partnerships.
This initiative was organised through a collaborative effort, with the Recreation and Parks team, to recruit the local youth, and provide them with development opportunities through structured training, mentorship and skill-building activities as part of the programme going forward.
Beginning at the Langa Pump Track, that allowed the organisers to gauge interest and assess skill levels before moving to Phase-02 at the City Bowl Park – a facility was built to Olympic specifications for skateboarding training.
The workshop gave young participants a great opportunity to experience a professional-grade skateboarding environment, while still having the Langa Pump Track as a space they can regularly utilise closer to home.
Considering this, the South African Olympic Skateboarder – Dallas Oberholzer played a key role in this significant initiative, in guiding the youth and sharing his expertise. He further enriched their experience in the sport.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Services and Health – Councillor Francine Higham said that the City of Cape Town is committed to create meaningful opportunities for young people to develop confidence, learn new skills and build a sense of community.
“It’s inspiring to see how sport and recreation programmes can bring people together and open doors for the future,” added Higham.
This initiative has also made funding possible from Ward-51, with the ward councillor involved actively. The funding covered transportation and refreshments for the participants.
Ward Councillor – Lwazi Pakade provided recreational opportunities for the youth which is a key priority.
Pakade stated that the initiative promoted an active lifestyle and offers young people a chance to develop confidence, discipline and new skills. The Ward Councillor added that he looks forward to see the programme grow and have even more young skaters involved from Langa.