Sharing is caring: one year of the Edu-Skate Worldwide Network.

Words by Irene Parra & Tim van Asdonck
Photography by ESWN partners

The Edu-Skate Worldwide Network (ESWN) is a multilateral initiative working on the continuous development of the pedagogically structured Edu-Skate programme with social skateboarding projects worldwide. But more than anything, it is a collective effort to share skateboarding knowledge that has been proven to positively impact different communities worldwide and connect with other fellow organizations to continue planting the positive seeds of this fantastic sport.

"It aims to connect social skate projects and exchange knowledge and ideas on the implementation of life-skills focussed skateboarding classes in order to support each other in delivering high-quality skateboarding sessions for our beneficiaries, reporting on our social impact and finally, obtaining funding for our work."

CJF Programmes Director about the ESWN main goals.

This month the ESWN celebrates a year of implementation, and we are launching our first annual report, Edu-Skate Worldwide Network: Report 2022.

Join the party and continue reading about our learnings and thoughts from 12 months of partnership with 6 amazing organizations worldwide and from more than 430 Edu-Skate Sessions executed.

And be prepared because we are not only sharing some of the most significant achievements of the 2022 ESWN but also a big surprise to celebrate them WITH YOU.

Get to know the Network.

Skateboard Club Vienna (SCV), Free Movement Skateboarding (FMS), Skate Nottingham, CJF Peru, CJF Jamaica, and CJF Morocco. These are the names of the six organizations of the 2022 ESWN.

Free Movement Skateboarding in Athens, Greece.

All of them utilize skateboarding to reach a social impact: they engage children with disadvantaged backgrounds and empower them through their skateboarding-related activities. These six organizations provide the Edu-Skate sessions completely free of charge for their service users - Want to learn more about the Edu-Skate Programme? Check CJF's blog about 5 years of implementation of its skateboarding-focused educational programme.

By being part of our Network, organizations had access to a detailed curriculum to provide guidance for coaches to better organize and structure their lessons, resulting in increased community engagement and reinforcing participants' commitment and bond to their programmes. According to the partner organizations' feedback, this has been reflected in the improvement of the beneficiaries' attendance, allowing them to reconnect with participants who had already lost interest in the programme.

CJF Jamaica at the Freedom Skatepark in Jamaica.

Rayquon Abrahams, Edu-Skate Coordinator & Head Teacher of the CJF Jamaica team, went even further and said his biggest takeaway from the Edu-Skate programme is the opportunities it provides.

"Not just my own opportunities that I've earned, but the opportunities that everyone has received. Opportunities such as little kids that want to come and learn something brand new. It makes me feel really good, that someone can put an opportunity, and the opportunity is a seed in the middle of your palm. And you have to water it; you have to figure out how to make it grow, you have to figure out how to turn it into a palm tree."

Rayquon Abrahams, Edu-Skate Coordinator & Head Teacher of the CJF Jamaica

You can read the full quote on the Edu-Skate Worldwide Network Report 2022.

Let's get to the numbers!

Impact matters, which is why we continue to monitor and revise our work monthly, quarterly, and annually. In fact, this is a big part of the ESWN too.

The Network offers a space for exchange that allows us to analyze the impact from a multilateral perspective. This not only guarantees more effective monitoring of the collective work as a network but is also an opportunity for learning and improvement that, in 2022, resulted in 100+ new life-skill-focused activity ideas to be included in our 2023 Edu-Skate curriculum.

If you want to see some of our most outstanding achievements in 2022 in numbers, here are some of the important figures:

Learnings from one-year implementation

The Network has always been a space for sharing. That is why an essential part of the Concrete Jungle Foundation's role as coordinator during these 12 months of implementation has been to enable exchange, facilitate conversations and stimulate cooperation between the organizations.

CJF Morocco at the Fiers et Forts Skatepark in Morocco.

From CJF's point of view, the biggest takeaway of the ESWN is being able to collaborate with other fellow organizations and having a rich body of data on activities to use for Edu-Skate classes that everyone can benefit from.

However, each of the partners has had a different experience during the implementation of the Edu-Skate programme and, of course, has their own perspective on their takeaways.

"It helps to manage the students' group, to properly instruct the activities and, on top, it brings in the social and personal value of skateboarding."

Johannes Wimmeder, Skateboard Club Vienna.

Skateboard Club Vienna in Vienna, Austria.

Happy birthday to the Network!

And now is when the fun begins!

To ensure CJF next year's operations and be able to support the 2023 edition of the Edu-Skate Worldwide Network, we are re-launching our Edu-Skate Tees and Posters from our very limited series by Fredrik Karell. And, wait for it! We have three crazy discounts for CJF donors!!!

Enjoy a 30, 50, or even a 75% discount on our Edu-Skate products, support the 2023 Network, and help us continue planting the positive seeds of skateboarding another year!!!!

We only have a few items left!

Don't wait for tomorrow to support Edu-skate programme; go to our Eshop now!

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