How skateboarding keeps the kids of Isithumba drug-free
In Isithumba, deep in the Valley of a Thousand Hills, the youth are focusing their energy on sports and avoiding the pitfalls of drug abuse.
In many instances, children who are given a space to practice activities that are both challenging and fulfilling end up thriving in other spheres of life.
Sport has long been one of the best ways to develop new skills and redirect the energy of the youth. For the children in Isithumba in the Valley of a Thousand Hills, they have found hope in skateboarding.
Having participated in the Indigo Skate Camp for some time, Nqobile Shinga now sees himself as a mentor for his peers.
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The confidence that skateboarding gives him allows him to speak to the other children in the community and share his experiences with them.
Nqobile often encourages community members to join the camp because he knows how life-changing even just a few minutes on a skateboard can be.
Nqobile's advice to anyone wanting to start skating is: “You must know your worth and have self-confidence.”