Erato* is a skateboarder who teaches refugees in her native Greece for the grassroots charity Free Movement Skateboarding. The group has created a new community for young refugees using public spaces across Athens.
When I first started skateboarding in Greece, some of the boys I skated with were very supportive but I still heard things like: “Wow, it’s really impressive you’re skating.” I found it a strange thing to hear when they weren’t making the same comments about boys.
If you haven’t tried skateboarding it’s hard to understand the joy it brings you. The first time you learn how to balance on the board is such an incredible feeling – it’s like you’re capable of anything.
I first picked up a skateboard in Athens when I was 21 – my sister bought me one. It was a difficult time for me and being on the board helped me deal with what I was going through.
Skateboarding brings you out of your comfort zone. It challenges you and helps you feel stronger.
When I first started going to skateparks there weren’t many other girls, but now I see more and more of them skateboarding in Greece, which is really encouraging.
I’ve been working as an instructor with Free Movement Skateboarding for over a year. The organisation started teaching skateboarding to children in refugee camps in Athens and now teaches sessions all around the city, open to local kids.
It’s amazing to see how children grow in confidence in the classes and connect with each other. We have kids from Greece, Georgia and Egypt all skating together.
We try to encourage girls to come and the youngest was six. It can be tough for them because they see all the boys who look like they know what they are doing.
But I try to explain that there’s nothing you can’t achieve, you just have to believe in yourself. I show them that we are all just learning; we can fall and laugh about it.
It’s funny how people get serious about skateboarding because, to me, it’s more like a fun game. It doesn’t matter if you’re a boy or a girl, and I see that often when you bring kids together to teach them something, or to cheer for another student, it helps break down gender norms: everyone is the same on a board.
Sometimes, I’ll see a girl peeking through the fence during a lesson and I know they want to come inside but might be shy. I encourage them to try it for a minute.
I did a course on gender equity and female empowerment, and I think this stuff matters – particularly in a country like Greece, where we can be a bit closed-minded in terms of gender expectations.
It’s great to see more and more girls skateboarding in Greece, and from a young age – but it’s just amazing seeing women of any age on a board. It’s incredible how many good skaters we have in Greece, given that we don’t have many skateparks.
I’m hoping more girls will start coming to Free Movement’s classes. Some of the girls we teach want to practise in their spare time – but there aren’t enough skateparks in Athens and, frankly, this is an issue for many skateboarders throughout the country.
Free Movement Skateboarding is raising funds to build its own skatepark in Athens. This will be important for several reasons. Not only will it be a good place to raise awareness about gender equality in skateboarding but also it will provide a crucial safe space for all the young people we teach, boys and girls.
It would be amazing to have a skatepark to pass on to a new generation of skaters and to encourage a wider skate scene and, hopefully, get more and more girls on the board, too.
* Erato chose to go by her first name only
