Just outside of the bustling urban metropolis of Durban, South Africa is the rural Valley of a Thousand Hills – an obscure locale for a secret skate spot.
But Indigo Skate Camp isn’t just a spot, it’s a movement, empowering local Zulu villagers by teaching them to ride, and pursue their passions.
Skateboarding is fast becoming an attractive activity amongst youths throughout South Africa as it’s an expression of freedom without limits and boundaries.
In an attempt to include rural and vulnerable youths, professional skateboarder Dallas Oberholzer set out to nurture sustainable skateboarding environments in the most unlikely places.
Indigo Skate Camp was the founding pilot project in a Zulu village in the Valley of 1 000 Hills. This rural facility grew from 2001 with contributions from more fortunate urban participants who attended youth camps at the facility.
“Indigo is proof that skateboarding can change the world” – Tony Hawk
Today Indigo Skate Camp hosts a tourism ambassador programme employing 35 youths in the surrounding village.
As the participation in skateboarding grew, they developed training manuals incorporating life skills. Standout skateboarders from Indigo Skate Camp then become instructors who went on to take the programmes to neighbouring villages and then provinces.
This is how Indigo Youth Movement includes and continues to guide more youths into the world of skateboarding.
This short documentary shows what skateboarding has grown to mean for the kids of Indigo Skate Camp, and how it has even become a vehicle by which they are able to see the life that exists just beyond the hills.
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