The new department naturally evolves from its predecessor, South Girl Skate, which played a pioneering and impactful role in developing the female skateboarding community in the region. The South Girl Skate project now becomes an integral part of the WeAllRide department, continuing its work from a feminist perspective, and expanding its scope to all gender minorities.
Under the leadership of four co-directors, Filipa Godinho, Francisca Pinto, Catarina Culubali, and Constança Mendes, WallRide's new department will work towards the creation of favourable conditions for access and continuation into skateboarding, while developing safe spaces for all gender minorities inside and outside the skatepark.
"Skateboarding, as a culture, has a significant democratizing factor for all human interactions in that context; which is based on a simple concept: falling hurts the same for everyone. Regardless of the complexity of tricks… pain, frustration, and the repetition of failure are universal experiences when someone starts and continues skateboarding. As a rule, these become relationships forged in perseverance, humility, and patience, which can only result in individuals focused on their shared humanity. This makes us, as a community, more predisposed to be sensitive to the struggles of those around us, whether in the context of tricks or daily life. WallRide aims to deepen these interactions, offering counselling, support, and protection to communities on the ground. In the case of WeAllRide, it's a natural step for our association, given the successful results of the model when applied to the underrepresented female skateboarding public. Beyond skateboarding, we want to make it clear that the skatepark is a place where everyone is welcome, especially those who feel excluded or mistreated in other physical or social spaces. Here at WallRide, everyone has a home," said Viriato Villas-Boas, president, and founder of the association.
WallRide is a non-profit Association focused on the Algarve, and headquartered at the Faro skatepark, and dedicates itself to social work development through the lens of skateboarding.