Boipelo gives back by launching skateboarding workshop for girls

AT JUST five years old, Boipelo Awuah stepped into the Kimberley Skate Plaza for the first time. The ramps looked massive, the energy intimidating, and the scene overwhelmingly male.

- DANIE VAN DER LITH

But that never stopped her. Fourteen years later, Boipelo is a two-time Olympic skateboarder, and now she's using that same skate park to spark change where it all began.

Tomorrow, Boipelo's nonprofit organisation, 053 Skateboarding For Girls, will officially kick off its Kimberley Winter Skateboarding Workshop, a girls-only event set to empower the next generation of female skateboarders.

The workshop, which will take place at the Kimberley Skate Plaza from 1pm and run till 6pm, is geared toward girls aged eight to 25 and promises a full day of skating, learning, creativity, and fun.

"I saw a lack of female skateboarders in Kimberley and a lack of community engagement," Boipelo told the DFA. "This workshop creates a safe place for girls to grow.

"Skateboarding is still very male-dominated, and it can be intimidating. I wanted to change that."

BEYOND PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT