Year in Review

On November 22, 2025, it was time once again for the 19th skate-aid night supported by Provinzial. Around 250 invited guests from all over Germany responded to the call to come to the @skaterspalace in Münster, including many well-known “skate-aid friends.”
 @captainmara @furyintheslaughterhouse @tdissoo@lisa_feller_official@michel_friess
@ezraveldman.nel @soenkemoehring_official @isa_911_belle @nielskiene @realpatrickvogel 
@simon_gosejohann_ @titusdittmann @mikeheiter@leylaheiter@nazouley @leaklein911
 @stahlhofen_rolf@tizlu_art @steffi.stephan@adam.riese @ludgeraundrup 
@seldaphoto@artlandstudios@fotojournalistjoachimbusch @eddiundbelle
 

As every year, renowned companies once again supported our charity event:
@provinzial.versicherung @kicos_guarana @senger.mobility @nikondach @nikoneurope 
@westenergie@fiege1873@moebelhoeffner @atlantichotelmuenster @_gltzn_@dermasence
@moving.movies @coppenrathverlag@boeinghoffcatering@redkitchencrew 
@badmeinberger.mineralwasser @memolife @movenpickmunster @lappe_inevent @optikviehoff 
@pflanzencentermuehlenbeck @necklays @weingutkarlmay@shmuenster @mcchallemuensterland 
@gopmuenster@skaterspalace@warsteiner @liba_trinken @mauritzhofhotel@ae_rental @rosen_freytag 
@sportpreuser

…and many more. Many thanks to all sponsors, guests, and participants who made this great event possible. We empower kids!

Click here for the video https://youtu.be/XpWcuICQEMk

The skate-aid mission is becoming increasingly well known in Germany. More and more committed people want to actively contribute to empower kids and advancing the skate-aid vision. In the 2025 season, the official skate-aid family included skate-aid Essen, Odenwald, Westerwald, Kevelaer, Siegerland, and Borkum. Their shared overarching goal: to reach and empower even more kids. A look at the figures confirms the great success of this collaboration: A total of 133 workshops reached an impressive 3,065 kids – including 1,660 boys and 1,405 girls. Another highlight of the season was the skate-aid summer party in August in Freudenberg, organized by Lea Klein, founder of skate-aid Siegerland. The very successful event delighted guests with live music from Henning Wehland, celebrity supporters such as Sönke Möhring, excellent food, and a light, summery atmosphere. At the same time, the event raised nearly €17,000, which went directly to our organization's charitable projects.

Westenergie and skate-aid have been organizing holiday skateboard workshops together since 2016. This year, 22 two-day workshops were held, mainly in North Rhine-Westphalia, with a total of 1,760 children taking part. From Aldenhoven in the south to Geeste in the north, thanks to Westenergie, participation was free of charge... but that's not all: in addition to lunch, the kids also received a skateboard and a Westenergie x skate-aid T-shirt for free! The WDR was even on site at the workshop in Mettmann to report on the event. “It's great to see how much fun the kids had here in Mettmann over the two days and how they strengthened their team spirit in a self-determined way,” emphasized Westenergie municipal manager Frithjof Gerstner. “When you see the beaming faces, you know that the children are taking home courage, self-confidence and unforgettable holiday memories,” said Mayor Sandra Pietschmann. Many thanks to Westenergie for its long-standing support. We are already looking forward to next year. Together we empower kids!

The project “ADHD – So what?!”, formerly known as “Skating instead of Ritalin,” is a project close to the heart of skate-aid international e.V., which is aimed at children diagnosed with ADHD or behavioral disorders. The aim is to offer these children a space where they can develop freely, channel their energy positively and build self-confidence through the medium of skateboarding. The project was initiated by Titus Dittmann, who himself has ADHD and knows the special power of skateboarding from his own experience. The official project launch took place in October 2024, accompanied by a film crew from the “RTL Charity Marathon” and star guest and project patron Wolfgang Bahro. The project itself was launched on April 1, 2025, in Berlin. Currently, the project is taking place exclusively at the Berlin Skatehall. Every Tuesday, two pedagogically supervised workshop sessions are held there. A total of around 30 children take part in the sessions each week. With a lot of patience, structure and motivation, the experienced coaches create an atmosphere in which the children learn step by step to focus their attention, overcome frustrations and rejoice in their own successes. Skateboarding offers ideal conditions: the children decide for themselves how fast they want to learn, experience immediate success and strengthen their concentration, endurance and body awareness through constant trial and error. The project is supported by the “RTL Charity Marathon” of the “Stiftung RTL – Wir helfen Kindern e.V.” foundation. Actor Wolfgang Bahro, known from the series “Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten,” has taken on the project sponsorship and is publicly committed to raising awareness of alternative support services for children with ADHD. The project is not intended to replace medical and therapeutic measures, but rather to complement them. Skateboarding offers a low-threshold, creative approach that does not involve any pressure to perform, while at the same time specifically strengthening skills that are particularly important for children with ADHD: impulse control, concentration, self-organization, and the experience of community. Initial scientific studies conducted by the University of Münster show positive effects on the concentration, attention span and social behavior of the participating children. In the long term, the project will be expanded to reach even more children. The Berlin Skatehall serves as a model location where concepts are tested that can be transferred to other cities in the future. “ADHD – So what?!” stands for an attitude that sees children for their strengths and gives them a space in which they can grow – on the skateboard and beyond.

In diesem Jahr hat skate-aid Nepal mit dem Bau einer neuen Bibliothek neben dem Skatepark einen bemerkenswerten Meilenstein gesetzt. Die Kids können im Skatepark skaten, lernen und zwischen den Seiten ihrer Lieblingsbücher träumen.  Jeden Nachmittag füllt sich der Park mit positiven Vibes, wenn sich die Kinder zum Skaten treffen. Nur wenige Schritte entfernt sitzen andere in der Bibliothek und lesen, zeichnen oder schreiben. Der Skatepark ist mehr als nur ein Spielplatz geworden, er ist ein Ort des Wachstums, des Selbstvertrauens und der Verbundenheit. Im Oktober besuchte das skate-aid International Team Nepal, um sich mit der lokalen Crew auszutauschen, die laufenden Arbeiten zu begutachten und die Fortschritte des Projekts zu feiern. Während des Besuchs fand im neuen Büro von skate-aid Nepal in Kathmandu eine Puja-Zeremonie statt, die den Traditionen des Tihar-Festes, Nepals Fest des Lichts, der Dankbarkeit und der Erneuerung, folgte. Die Zeremonie symbolisierte Glück, Einheit und Segen für die weitere Zusammenarbeit zwischen dem lokalen und dem internationalen Team. Stephanie Senger, von unserem langjährigen Supporter, dem Autohaus Senger, das im Rahmen unserer letzten skate-aid-night wieder großzügig gespendet hat, war mit vor Ort, um sich selbst ein Bild zu machen. Sie hat das Wesentliche dieser Erfahrung perfekt auf den Punkt gebracht:  „Der Besuch des skate-aid Projektes in Butwal war eine beeindruckende Erfahrung, die mir tiefe Einblicke in eine inspirierende Gemeinschaft verschafft hat. Von Anfang an wurde ich herzlich empfangen. Alle nannten mich liebevoll „Didi“, was auf Nepalesisch „große Schwester“ bedeutet und gaben mir damit sofort das Gefühl, Teil der Familie zu sein.  Am meisten beeindruckt hat mich, wie fürsorglich und unterstützend die Kinder und Coaches miteinander umgehen. Sie übernehmen Verantwortung füreinander und für das Projekt und feiern Erfolge gemeinsam, ohne Neid, sondern mit echtem Stolz und dem Ehrgeiz, ihre Gemeinschaft als Team voranzubringen. Gerade für junge Mädchen, die oft dazu erzogen werden, schüchtern zu sein, bietet das Skateboarden eine Chance, Selbstvertrauen und Offenheit zu entwickeln. Der Skatepark ist viel mehr als nur ein Ort zum Skaten. Für viele Kinder ist er ein sicherer Zufluchtsort, unabhängig davon, aus welchem familiären Umfeld sie kommen. Hier können sie auch lernen, Hausaufgaben machen und einfach ihrer Leidenschaft nachgehen. Der Skatepark schafft eine große Familie, die Unterstützung und Ermutigung bietet und in schwierigen Situationen verlässlich zur Stelle ist. Dieses Gefühl der Zusammengehörigkeit, des gegenseitigen Vertrauens und der bedingungslosen Unterstützung hat mich tief beeindruckt und dient als Vorbild für jede Gemeinschaft.“ Das neue skate-aid Nepal Büro in Kathmandu hat bereits durch seine stärkere Sichtbarkeit eine wichtige Basis für die Ausweitung der Reichweite, die Koordination von Aktivitäten und den Aufbau von Partnerschaften mit Gemeinden im ganzen Land geschaffen. Um diese Dynamik aufrechtzuerhalten, die Bibliothek mit mehr Büchern zu füllen, den Skatepark zu pflegen und noch mehr Kinder zu begeistern, braucht skate-aid Nepal eure Unterstützung. Jeder Beitrag hilft uns, Kreativität, Selbstvertrauen und Chancen dort zu fördern, wo sie am dringendsten benötigt werden. Gemeinsam können wir Träume am Leben erhalten – mit jedem Skateboard, jedem Buch und jedem Kind. Wir machen Kinder stark! Machen Sie mit. Unterstützen Sie skate-aid Nepal und helfen Sie uns, die Hoffnung am Leben zu erhalten.

In the peaceful highlands of Balleketuwa, Sri Lanka, the sound of skateboards rolling over smooth concrete has become the heartbeat of a new generation. In April 2025, skate-aid proudly completed the construction of a new concrete mini ramp, transforming an empty space into a playground of hope, creativity and freedom. Just weeks after the ramp’s completion, two dedicated volunteers from skate-aid Nepal, Bijay Tamang and Nishal Thapa, arrived to kick off the next chapter. From July to September, they led energetic workshops that brought the ramp and the community to life. They conducted 36 Workshops at the new ramp and ran programs in six local schools, introducing skateboarding to dozens of curious and excited children. Every afternoon, the mini ramp filled with laughter, cheers and self-commitment. For many of the kids, it was their first time stepping on a skateboard, learning balance, courage and the joy of trying again after every fall.
While the volunteers faced challenges like long travel days, limited resources and the task of managing large groups, their passion and perseverance never faltered. Through their dedication, the children of Balleketuwa found not just a new hobby, but a community and a sense of belonging. Today, the concrete mini ramp stands as a symbol of resilience and possibility, a place where play meets purpose and where every push forward carries the message that no dream is too small to build.

In 1966, the Van Doren brothers, together with business friends, founded the Van Doren Rubber Company in Anaheim, California. Since then, their shoe brand VANS has become one of the most successful brands, which has had a significant influence on our (youth) culture and continues to do so today. We are proud to count VANS among our supporters. The new limited edition VANS X skate-aid collaboration shoes, Half Cab and Slip-On, are only available in the skate-aid online store and in the skate-aid shop! With your purchase, you support our work and the kids in our worldwide skate park projects.

Our new skate-aid Mag No.15 is here!
It offers an exciting insight into our work and our worldwide projects.
Pick up a free copy at our skate-aid shop in Münster, or view the magazine as a flip book HERE!