B.C. man seeks donated skateboards, skate shoes for at-risk Cuban youth
Credit to Author: Stephanie Ip| Date: Tue, 07 Jan 2020 23:20:29 +0000
A B.C. man is hoping to help at-risk youth in Cuba skate through life — both literally and figuratively.
Jason Wingham, a Burnaby-based actor and stuntman, is collecting donated skateboards, skate shoes and related gear in preparation for his next trip to the Caribbean country, where the items will be given to local skateboarders with little access to sports equipment and where the activity is still considered illegal.
The donations are distributed through Amigo Skate Cuba, a charity that works throughout the island country to provide skate gear, art supplies and music equipment, and aims to promote creativity and break down barriers.
Wingham said his own lifelong love of skateboarding prompted him to get involved on his first trip to the country in 2017.
“Rolling on four wheels, riding ramps, things like that — it becomes a euphoric kind of experience for a skateboarder, and that never left me,” he said, adding that skateboarding kept him out of trouble and created a social structure for him in his youth.
“Skateboarding gives a lot to people creatively and socially, and that’s the big thing for these kids down there. You put a skateboard in their hands and it gives them something to get up in the morning and go do and be happy about, and help their life thrive.”
A history of political strife and U.S. economic sanctions has long limited the Communist country’s access to imported goods. As a result, it’s common for tourists to bring donations when travelling to Cuba, something Wingham did during his first trip.
Jason Wingham collects skateboards ands donates them to kids in Cuba. He is seen here Tuesday working on boards he will be taking to Cuba soon to distribute.
Amigo Skate Cuba is a Miami-based charity that has worked for nearly a decade to smuggle skateboards — which are considered contraband — into Cuba. After learning of the group, Wingham connected with founder Rene Lecour, who put him in touch with on-the-ground volunteers, dubbed “the Robin Hoods of Havana.”
Through his social network, Wingham was able to collect 30 skateboards, which he brought with him in three duffel bags and distributed in a Havana park. After riding down Havana’s Paseo del Prado promenade and spending time with local skaters, Wingham fell in love with the country and its skate culture, and vowed to return.
In Cuba, skateboarding falls into a grey area, where it’s considered illegal but often overlooked by authorities. Skateboarding isn’t permitted in some areas and large gatherings of skaters often draw the attention of government officials, but Wingham hopes that will change with the sport’s debut at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan.
“Due to the political ramifications of life in Cuba, these kids are suffering,” said Wingham. “They have no access to skateboards at all, there’s no shops that sell them, you can’t import them. The only way they get a board is people bring them down and hand them one.”
Since 2017, Wingham has made two more trips to Cuba and distributed about 100 pairs of skate shoes and about the same number of skateboards.
Wingham has also established relationships with several Vancouver skate shops and companies — including Commercial Drive’s The Drive Skate Shop, Richmond-based Ultimate Skateboard Distribution and skateboarder Sluggo Boyce with Red Dragon — to secure at-cost pricing for gear and leftover stock. He also collects cash donations, every dollar of which goes to cover the cost of gear or luggage fees for donations being transported, while the rest is covered out of Wingham’s own pocket.
Wingham will be back in Cuba from Jan. 27 to Feb. 4 with his family. This time, he’s collected about 60 decks, along with wheels and trucks, but is still in desperate need of skate shoes.
“Vans, DCs, Converse — anything that’s a flat-soled skateboard shoe that’s in reasonably good shape, even if they’re used,” he said. “Those are like gold down there. These kids, their shoes are falling off their feet for the most part.”
Donations of skateboards, shoes or cash can be dropped off at The Drive Skate Shop, at 1997 Commercial Dr.
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