WallRide, an association dedicated to social justice and the support of marginalised communities through the lens of skateboarding, based in Faro - Algarve, is celebrating another milestone after being selected by the Pushing Against Racism Working Group of the Good Push Alliance as the only project in the European Continent for its Pushing Against Racism Grant for 2024.

Viriato Villas-Boas, WallRide’s President, said: “Both me, the team, and the wider community are incredibly thankful to the Good Push Alliance for the honour and opportunity to keep furthering our work, and for the recognition of said work just a few months before our third anniversary. Considering the current political climate in Portugal (and beyond), where racist, violent (and even fatal) events are taking place and hate-speech is increasingly normalised, it is imperative that our community continues to pushback. Skateboarding has always found its strength and heroes in a plurality of ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds, and more than defending principles or ideologies, we feel like we have an obligation to stand up for our Brothers and Sisters everywhere – especially in our own backyards. Ever since Portugal’s last elections, there has been a noticeable increase in far-right and racially/ethnically motivated violence, both to skateboarders and the wider society; As such, WallRide will keep fighting with every possible tool, and until our last breath for Human Rights and Human Dignity. We are really thankful to Good Push and the Pushing Against Racism Working Group for widening our proverbial toolbelt on that arena”.

The Good Push Alliance, an initiative spearheaded by Skateistan, aims to foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing among social skateboarding projects worldwide. Through a range of resources, workshops, and awards, the Alliance endeavours to maximise the collective impact of skateboarding initiatives.

The Pushing Against Racism Fund, established by the Pushing Against Racism (PAR) Working Group, represents a proactive step towards promoting an anti-racist culture within the global skateboarding community.

This year, the Goodpush Alliance received an unprecedented 158 applications from across six continents. Following rigorous evaluation, 12 initiatives from 11 countries were selected to receive grants totalling $15,000. These projects demonstrate outstanding potential to enhance the well-being of young people, promote racial equity within skateboarding, and foster inclusivity in underserved communities.