Press Release:
Longboarding For Peace In The Middle East
Search-Spark-Stoke Tour 2012 Coming to Israel and the West Bank
Contact: Matthew Olsen
Director, Explore Corps
(+1)2026310159
A unique peace building initiative will take place throughout the month of July, bringing the joys of longboard skateboarding to children and teens in Israel and the West Bank (Palestinian Authority).
The Search-Spark-Stoke Tour 2012, created by Michael Brooke, publisher of Concrete Wave Magazine, will teach as many as 200 children and teens in Israel and the West Bank how to longboard while establishing relationships between the Israeli and Palestinian participants.
This initiative, which will include events held in both Israel and the West Bank, is being organized as part of the Surfing 4 Peace project with events hosted by Israel’s premiere youth peacebuilding organization, the Peres Center For Peace.
The unique approach and programming of the Search-Spark-Stoke combines Michael Brooke’s 37 years of skateboarding experience with the programmatic expertise of Explore Corps, the parent company of Surfing 4 Peace.
“Longboarding is exploding in popularity. It’s fun and easy to learn” explains Brooke.
“Not everyone lives near surf and learning to ride can be a challenge. Longboards are much easier to learn than regular street skateboards and you don’t need to live by the sea to feel the thrill of the ride.”
According to Surfing 4 Peace leader Arthur Rashkovan, “We have made great gains in building ties between surfers across political and cultural borders in the past few years. Expanding our programming to include longboarding was a natural progression. We can include more people, and longboard when there are no waves.”
The Search-Spark-Stoke Tour 2012 will consist of four events in the cities of Jaffa, East Jerusalem, Jericho and Sderot. Instruction will be provided by Michael Brooke and a team of volunteers from Surfing 4 Peace.
Each session will host 30-50 local youth participants selected by the Peres Center For Peace. At the events, youth will learn to longboard following a curriculum developed by Michael Brooke and Explore Corps.
When Search-Spark-Stoke Tour 2012 concludes, 30 longboards and helmets will be donated to Explore Corps for use in future Surfing 4 Peace programming in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Schedule:
July 5: Jaffa
July 11: Sderot
July 12: East Jerusalem and Jericho
Dates and exact locations are subject to change. If you would like to attend please contact
Matthew Olsen for details at m.olsen@explorecorps.org and (+1)202-631-0159.
