This amazing photo collection was captured by photographer Jessica Fulford-Dobson.
Dobson became aware of Oliver Percovich, an Australian skateboarder's 2007 project called 'Skateistan.' This is a non-profit project that connects youth and education through skateboarding in Afghanistan.
In 2012, Dobson took a trip to Kabul, Afghanistan to check it out. She learned that just under half of the students in the program were female, and that women in Afghanistan are not allowed to ride bicycles -- which was the inspiration for Skateistan. This is also the reason why skateboarding is the number one sport for women in Afghanistan.
The photographs that Dobson captured use natural light to expose the confident personalities of the female boarders.
In 2014, she won 2nd prize in the 2014 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize with 'Skate Girl.' Her exhibition, Jessica Fulford-Dobson: Skate Girls of Kabul opens at Saatchi Gallery in London on April 15 and runs until April 28, 2015.
What's Driving This Trend
- Skateboarding for Social Good
- Exploring the opportunities for using skateboarding as a tool for social impact, particularly in developing countries where it may be more accessible than other sports.
- Female Empowerment Through Unconventional Sports
- Investigating how women in countries with restricted access to traditional sports are finding empowerment and community in non-traditional sports like skateboarding.
- Photography for Social Awareness
- Examining how photographic projects like this one can raise awareness for important social issues and empower marginalized groups through exposure and storytelling.
Who This Affects Most
- Non-profit Organizations
- Opportunities for non-profits to explore new and unique ways to connect education and social impact, potentially through unconventional sports programs like Skateistan.
- Sports Equipment Manufacturing
- Opportunities for sports equipment manufacturers to expand their product offerings to include equipment designed for non-traditional sports, like skateboarding, and potentially explore partnerships with socially-minded organizations like Skateistan.
- Art and Photography
- Opportunities for photographers and artists to use their craft as a tool for social change and awareness-raising, potentially partnering with non-profits or social impact organizations to broaden their reach and impact.
