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Volunteers open Jordan’s first skate park

The site, funded by $25,000 in donations, hosts competitions and provides boards to young skaters.

Jordan's growing skateboarding community has welcomed the opening of the country's first skate park.
By Zab Mustefa and Alisa Reznick
Published On 12 Feb 2015

Amman, Jordan – On a warm afternoon in downtown Amman, a Syrian refugee is cheered on via loudspeaker as he weaves his skateboard through a makeshift course of rain boots and traffic cones during a competition at the newly opened 7Hills skate park.

“In Syria, I couldn’t go out and play because of the war, but in Amman I can enjoy my time, stay out late and make new friends at the skate park,” nine-year-old Ahmed Rayen, who has been in Jordan for two years, told Al Jazeera.

Last December, 7Hills co-founder Mohammed Zakaria, 28, and other international and local volunteers raised $25,000 through crowdfunding to finance the country’s first skate park. The site welcomed young skaters with donated skateboards and hosted competitions in January.

“Everyone is really hyped about the project,” Zakaria said. “I think the park is a positive outlet for young people.”

As neighbouring Syria enters its fourth year of conflict, Jordan has so far hosted at least 600,000 Syrian refugees, although unofficial figures put the number closer to 1.4 million. In a country where half the total population is under 25, young people face shrinking possibilities for employment and community spaces – and Zakaria hopes the park will be a small step towards changing that.

Nine-year-old refugee Ahmed Rayen said he thinks the skate park will help him find a safe place in Amman after fleeing Syria with his family two years ago.
Skateboards donated by the park's founders and other volunteers were handed out to children participating in the park's first competition.
7Hills is a new opportunity for disadvantaged youth in Jordan to access free equipment they would otherwise not be able to afford.
The project's organisers teamed up with local graffiti artists and a British non-governmental organisation, AptART, to give the park a colourful touch.
7Hills co-founder Mohammed Zakaria has been skating in Amman for over 10 years. 'Everyone is really hyped about 7Hills,' he said. 'People in Jordan need a public space. People need a success story; that's the most important thing.'
Public spaces for children to play are rare in the kingdom. Access to an activity like skateboarding is something Zakaria says is unique, with people of all ages and backgrounds enjoying the outdoors in a safe environment.
Eight-year-old Laila al-Amoush does not feel intimidated by being one of the few girls at the park. 'I want to be a professional skateboarder, because then I can help other kids if they don't know how to skateboard,' she said. 'I can show them what to do and if they fall I could be their nurse.'
The team continues to raise funds through the local community to buy more equipment and eventually expand the skate park. In the meantime, 7Hills has a loaner programme where children can borrow boards on site.
British volunteer Harry Gerrard, 23, has been in Amman for two months to help build the park. The experienced skateboarder has been on site everyday since he arrived.
In its first operational month, 7Hills already has a strong community spirit. Children feel part of a 'big skateboarding family', according to Zakaria.
While building the site, the skate park's three founders transformed an on-site storage room into a memorabilia gallery to capture the journey of building 7Hills from scratch.
Older and more experienced skaters ensure newcomers abide by the self-service system of borrowing equipment and putting it back at the end of the night.
Fledgling skateboarders and rollerbladers run over newly painted graffiti as the sun sets on the 7Hills skate park during one of its first operational days.
Children and volunteers file into the newly opened park one afternoon in January.