On Tuesday, January 25, I toured the Hub and spoke with Mark-Peter Lundquist, the program director at the Urban Ventures Hub, about the Skateboard Park.
The Skateboard Park consists of small set of ramps at the back of the Hub and a larger set outside. According to Mark-Peter, Tuesdays and Thursday during open boarding the Skateboard Park is packed. Like kids in other Urban Ventures program, kids that skateboard for free at the Hub live in difficult situations. Many of them suffer from abuse and neglect. Some of them move around a lot with their families and have even experienced homelessness. The Skateboard Park, for these kids, is a focal point in their chaotic lives. If they could, they would skate there seven days a week because it is a safe and constant place for them amidst the turmoil of their lives.
The kids that skateboard at the park are different from many kids involved in Urban Ventures programs because they are very wary of classroom settings and scheduled programs. As a result, they are hard to incorporate into the mentoring programs at the Hub. On Wednesday nights, however, the Skateboard Park is only open to people upon invitation of the Urban Ventures Skateboard Park staff. The evening is hosted by Jon Lord, who is building a new community by deeply investing in a group of 15 skaters. The evening includes plenty of skating, a short talk addressing their spiritual growth, and a meal. “There is nothing more heartwarming,” explains Mark Peter, “than to see this rag-tag bunch sitting around Jon. It’s the closest they will ever come to a church.”
Even for the kids who do not attend the Wednesday night mentoring session, the Skateboard Park is an important place for them to stay safe and off the street, away from gangs and drugs.
Jennifer Arnold, Communications Assistant
Posted by urbanventures 
