This past week I was on a cruise to Canada (Saint John and Halifax, woohoo!) As it turns out, I missed an awesome skateboarding event right in my neighborhood when I was busy preparing for my trip. Last Saturday, June 27, Stoked Mentoring (remember them from our Just 1 Click in June?) held the Stoked Skate Jam under the Manhattan Bridge in Chinatown. The event was the meeting spot for skateboarders to take the streets to celebrate Go Skateboarding Day (which was June 21, but this event was postponed because of the weather*). From the pictures and videos I’ve seen, this event looked like a lot of fun, and many youth turned out to support Stoked Mentoring. Once again, the mission of Stoked Mentoring is to help at-risk and disadvantaged teens hone their skateboarding, snowboarding and surfing skills with the support of an encouraging mentor. Stoked's mission statement says it all: "And one teen at a time, counterculture WILL change the world." Check out the pictures and video footage!
source: Bowery Boogie, Flickr
While in Canada, I did get to see some skateboarding as well. Saint John celebrated Canada Day (July 1) with a skateboarding competition at its brand new skate park. Here’s some video of young Canadians warming up.
How do they hold up against New York? How about LA?
“I’m going to stop them. I’ll lay in the path of the machines if I have to. I have to protect our land.”—Rosalin Sam of the Lil’wat Nation,on the construction of new ski-resorts in sacred wilderness areas. The Guardian.
As athletes around the world prepare for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing this August, some have already started thinking about the next winter Olympic Games scheduled for Vancouver in 2010.
More specifically, indigenous communities in Canada have voiced fervent opposition to the Games. They say that the winter Olympics will take place on stolen indigenous land, devastate natural resources, and largely ignore the impoverished Native communities in and around Vancouver.
"We look on the extravagance of what the Olympics represent to us as indigenous people and, quite frankly, we're pissed off. So today...we are standing united in telling the Olympics if they want a peaceful Games they have got to come and pay attention to the poverty that is in our communities."
Photo: Last month, thousands of First Nations supporters organized across Canada to protest the 2010 Olympics, bringing nation-wide attention to their concerns.
Not everyone agrees about the affects that the 2010 Olympic Games will have in Native communities. The Four Host First Nations formed an official group to increase indigenous support for the Games. They say that Olympic development will bring economic growth.
But the Four Host First Nations’ viewpoint doesn’t quite represent the majority of First Nations members, whose growing commitment to stop Olympic exploitation gave rise to the Native 2010 Resistance Campaign. The Campaign website states that increased development has already begun to destroy Native lands. From road construction to ski-resort expansion, Native groups haven’t received any compensation for the environmental damage that will continue to accrue as the Games get closer. While many indigenous folks still depend upon the natural environment for food sources and sacred ceremonies, Olympic planners and development corporations seem to care more about the commercial potential of the land. As a final slap in the face to Native communities (who frequently live below the official poverty level), low-income housing projects are being converted to luxury hotels and condos to prepare for wealthier visitors. Many will need to relocate into less expensive regions.
The Olympics are intended to bring athletes of all races and ethnicities together for some friendly competition. But when a cultural group feels abused and ignored in the face of large corporate interests, the guise of friendly competition becomes yet another tool of oppression. Instead of losing touch with the human face behind the jersey, I’d like to see our nation celebrate sports that are fun, inclusive, and mindful of basic human dignity.
"We look on the extravagance of what the Olympics represent to us as indigenous people and, quite frankly, we're pissed off. So today...we are standing united in telling the Olympics if they want a peaceful Games they have got to come and pay attention to the poverty that is in our communities."
