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Youth in the Hat can ride down to the Kinsmen Skate Plaza every Saturday this month for the Medicine Hat Skateboard Association’s annual SkateSkool.
“We have kids from the age of five to about 14 and they come down and we just teach them how to skateboard safely,” said Naomi Woods, MHSA board member.
There is $5 drop-in fee each Saturday, with the event running from 11 a.m. to noon.
Woods says instructors are aged 14-23 and she adds everyone is really excited and willing to teach each other.
“All the kids get so excited and some of our current instructors now used to be in SkateSkool when they were kids,” she said. “It definitely keeps them engage in the community and they’ve stayed involved.”
Woods says it’s important to show the kids they can feel comfortable and feel welcome at the skatepark. It may be intimidating with older people there, but there’s lots of people who can be role models for them which is great because some of the kids don’t have older siblings to look up to.
Tim Hortons sponsors the event and provides donuts at the end of each session, while the South Eastern Alberta Traffic and Safety Coalition donated protective gear such as helmets and pads and also helped the SkateSkool reduce its drop-in fee from $10 to $5.
