Earlier this week the Diné Skate Park had its grand opening where key supporter, Tony Hawk, joined the festivities. The Diné Skate Garden Project began in 2022 in Two Grey Hills, NM, a remote community in Navajo Nation.
The sustainable art brand owned by Diné, 4KINSHIP, was the organization that began the creation of the Project in 2022. The remote Navajo community lies between Shiprock and Gallup within the Chuska Mountains of New Mexico, and the area previously had no kind of outdoor recreational facility for the public.
4KINSHIP leadership wanted to bring skateboarding and its benefits to the Navajo youth in these remote communities. The project would not have been nearly as successful had it not gotten support along the way; the key organizations that helped fundraise include Tony Hawk’s The Skate Park Project, Jewel’s Inspiring Children Foundation, and Wonders Around the World.
President of Navajo Nation and lifelong skater, Dr Buu Nygren, was alongside Hawk at the park celebrating the opening of this new community hub. Despite the skate park’s opening, the Diné Skate Garden Project as a whole has much bigger plans ahead. Expansion plans include a community garden using traditional agriculture and harvesting techniques while reintroducing ancestral crops. The garden will support food independence while being a beneficial gathering space for the community.
More information about the project can be found on the 4KINSHIP website, as well as ways to donate.