May Nonprofit: Worcester Community Skateshop

By Dani Babineau

In the grand scheme of things, we’ve been pretty lucky during the COVID-19 crisis. We’re all healthy and employed, many of our expenses are covered (for now), and beer is still being brewed. Knock on wood. It still sucks in a lot of ways, but we recognize it’s much tougher for many others.

One of the more frustrating parts of all this, other than *gestures wildly at everything,* is that our taproom tips for charity are way, way down. Literally a fraction of what they used to be (although many people are indeed making donations with their online purchases). It’s certainly understandable - fewer customers mean fewer tips, duh - but it’s painful and sad to see all the same.

That being said, we’re seeing communities pull together now like never before - and not many organizations represent the concept of community more than our nonprofit for May, the Worcester Community Skateshop. As you’ll read below, they fully understand the importance of providing a community and support to people when they’re vulnerable.

Check out our Q&A with some of the WCS’s founders about how the organization uses skateboarding as a way to help the city’s youth - and we hope you’ll consider adding a donation with your next curbside or home delivery purchase.

What’s the mission of WCS and what does the organization do?

The mission of WCS is to make skateboarding more accessible, affordable, and inclusive in Worcester by offering goods at sliding scale rates at our shop, and by organizing community events and programs.

Why is the WCS's mission important to the Worcester area?

This mission is important in the city of Worcester for many reasons. Just like in any city, young people need outlets. Young people are oversaturated with adult oversight and structured programming and have little autonomy over how their body moves and how they create and understand knowledge and experiences. Our current system of education does not excite young people (probably not most teachers, either) and does not give them the opportunities to be excited about learning or build meaningful relationships. Young people have to find ways to feed their mind, body, and soul on their own, and while many do find this in organized sports or mainstream visual or performing arts programs, many youth are left unsatisfied. 

Skateboarding is not for everyone, but for those who connect to the activity, it becomes their world. Skateboarding can be someone's outlet and escape, someone's main source of physical exercise, someone's community, the foundation of meaningful relationships, someone's mindfulness practice, someone's base for intrinsic positive self conception, and someone's overall source of joy and hope (and all of these at once). Because skateboarding has no coach, it is not necessary to compete, and it can be done alone anywhere with concrete, it can be exciting for those who do not feel engaged or seen by mainstream youth programming. 

All this being said, skateboarding communities are made up of predominantly white cis-men, and skateboards are not cheap. Skateboard culture often perpetuates toxic masculinity, homophobia, transphobia, white supremacy, and classism. We believe no one should feel unwelcome in skate culture; everyone who wants should have access to this activity and the community that surrounds it. 

Finally, Worcester is in the midst of what many are calling a "renaissance," but who is this renaissance uplifting and who is it pushing out? We call it what it is: GENTRIFICATION, a modern day expression of settler colonialism. When luxury condos move in, people are pushed out, and a city once again celebrates the potential for a return on investment, a new ugly plastic building, and a "revitalized" (whiter and wealthier) culture. We do not think Worcester should not change and grow, but the values that support development should shift. Our city could focus on creating economic opportunities for those whom the economic systems of our country have historically oppressed: indigenous folk, black folk, brown folk, immigrants, women, queer folk, trans folk, differently abled folk, folk facing housing or income insecurity. The list goes on. Our city could support the growing network of cooperatives and socially responsible businesses. Our city could focus on supporting the many communities that have called Worcester home for so long in creating vibrant culture, rather than importing restaurants, murals, and sports teams. Our city could focus on creating affordable housing. Our city could value youth culture rather than police it. Our city could focus on creating common space for the people that is not defined by a single use, and that does not require an entrance fee.

Our mission is important now because as the city changes, we are committed to fighting for the values we believe should be guiding this change. The skeleton of a baseball stadium sits where Worcide used to be. We want Worcester to become a more skate-friendly city, and this can only be congruent with a true commitment to creating justice for all people.

What has the WCS accomplished that you’re most proud of?

In the summer of 2019, we ran our first skate camp in partnership with Recreation Worcester and YouthWorks. We were able to hire two high schoolers and spend two days a week offering a free skateboarding experience to 7-13 year olds. It was so much fun! We were only able to purchase 20 complete boards and sets of helmets and pads, but we had about 40 kids taking turns and skating each session. The energy was incredible; some kids pushing around on their knees all day, some going straight for the ramps, falling over and over again until they made it over, some playing fun skate games, some helping each other out holding hands and pulling each other around. Watching the pure joy that existed in that space, the determination on their faces, the laughter, the frustration, and the exhilaration of finally landing the trick, it was something else. 

Another accomplishment has been the formation of the WTF (Women, Trans, Femme) Skate Brigade. The WTF Brigade is a rad community of women, girls, trans folk, LGBTQ+, and non-binary people skating and learning together, dreaming, and building a more inclusive skate scene. Though it has been a slow build, we are proud to continue to support the WTF Brigade to grow and create a more diverse and inclusive skate community.  

How might donations from Redemption Rock customers help the WCS in the future?

Like all small organizations, we are currently figuring out how to continue to support our work during this pandemic. We had planned for another skate camp this summer, but it does not seem like that will be safe. We are committed to continuing to provide youth with opportunities to skate, and are working to figure out how we could best redistribute our funds originally budgeted for skate camp to go to purchasing and distributing skateboards to youth who otherwise cannot access them. All donations from Redemption Rock will go toward providing youth with skateboards and protective equipment in the coming months. The COVID-19 emergency has hit families and young people hard, and cut off people from programs and communities they rely on. Skateboarding is a great activity to do alone, physically distant from others, and could be the outlet a young person needs this summer.

Do you have any upcoming events that people should know about?

Who knows when it will be safe for us to hold events and large public gatherings again, but whenever that may be, we are looking forward to more Block Parties with our friends at 508Bikelife!