If you’ve ever checked out your local skate park, you probably noticed that the scene is typically dominated by highly skilled young men, zooming around performing technical tricks. It’s rare to see people of other identities, especially girls and women. This begs the question, why are certain people not showing up? And what can be done to include everyone?

Thanks to the work of Skate Like a Girl, the needle is moving. With three chapters in Seattle, Portland and the San Francisco Bay Area, the organization is helping to create a more inclusive skateboarding community.

At Skate Like a Girl, people of all genders feel included, empowered and challenged within a safe space to fall down and get back up to master their challenges. Skate Like a Girl programs include after-school enrichment programs, free summer clinics for kids, the Youth Employment Skateboarding (YES) teen volunteer program and Ladies’ Nights. Skate Like a Girl is fostering an inclusive culture through these diverse offerings by teaching confidence, leadership and social justice through skateboarding. This unique cultural shift toward diversity and inclusion isn’t happening within a bubble. The work of Skate Like a Girl bridges the gap between existing skaters and those traditionally underrepresented at skate parks.