Vans will be launching a global campaign ahead of skateboarding’s Olympic debut, highlighting the things that make skateboarding great.

Since the beginning, it has celebrated the creative culture of skateboarding and the individual self-expression it embodies through listening, empowering and showcasing local communities driving skate culture around the world. This summer’s campaign, “No Matter How Big Skateboarding Gets, Never Forget Where it Starts,” highlights what makes skateboarding so special… the streets, skateparks, backyard pools and communities that built skate from the very beginning.

This campaign is partnering with award-winning international non-profit Skateistan, who empowers children through skateboarding and education in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa and skateboarding’s biggest legend and Skateistan ambassador, Tony Hawk. The campaign will also feature Olympic skaters Lizzie Armanto (FIN) and Pedro Barros (BRA) who will have featured videos during the campaign.

Skateistan

By combining skateboarding with creative, arts-based education, they give children the opportunity to become leaders for a better world, with a focus on groups often excluded from sports and educational opportunities, especially girls, children living with disabilities and those from low-income backgrounds. As of 2021, Skateistan, an award-winning international non-profit empowering children, has done the following:

-Taught and educated more than 13,000 children through Skateistan’s programs.

-Graduated more than 1,000 out-of-school children in Afghanistan from Skateistan’s Back-to-School program to later enroll in formal education.

-Reached children ages 5-17 with a focus on girls, children from low-income backgrounds and children living with disabilities that represent more than 20 ethnicities and nationalities.