Today we’d like to introduce you to Steph Whyte and Kyrstin Stone.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Skate To The Polls began after speaking with high school students and realizing how they felt that their vote was taken for granted as young (largely Latinx) people and so they were not provided with basic election information. Skate To The Polls became a source of nonpartisan, straightforward information about what each proposition and person on the ballot was about specifcally as they relate to skateboarding, as well as a safe community to skate together with to your closest polling place.
After conversations with friends and some incredible advisors, we decided to take the project to social media and scale it nationally, particularly targeting cities with voter suppression. We worked with local skate shops and community organizations, created a toolkit they could use to share information, and helped them to find their closest polling place to skate together and vote.
Post election, the goal is to continue civic engagement in the skate community through education about staying involved locally. We want cities to recognize that skateboarders know their cities better than anyone and to use their unique knowledge to make our cities safe, more skateable places to live. We also want to help connect skateboarders with local city officials to address some of the issues they see on their streets or at local parks.
Has it been a smooth road?
One of the biggest challenges we faced is that election information varies city by city (and even neighborhood by neighborhood) and is truthfully unclear and difficult to find. It was a good challenge for us to be able to consolidate and share this information in ways that were easily accessible, and rewarding to see how helpful it was for people across the US. Getting the word out about our events in cities we were less familiar with was also a challenge, but we met such incredible people -largely women and POC- along the way that truly made every Skate To The Polls event feel like the best day skating with good friends.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Skate To The Polls – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
There are two aspects of our initiative that we are pretty proud of. The kind, diverse, creative community we’ve cultivated has been such a huge driver of inspiration and has really shed light on the unique ability of skateboarding to be a safe space for people of all genders, races, ages, everything.
Secondly, we put a lot of work towards making the connections between local policy and skateboarding. Explaining how your city council members decide whether or not skateparks get built, cracks in the roads get fixed or stop signs are put up, all those sorts of things. Your district attorney decides whether or not to press charges when a skateboarder is caught skating on private property, or hold police accountable for their actions.
Politics can feel so far away from skateboarding and, as an inherently counter-culture sport, can feel like total opposites. But skateboarders have unparalleled levels of resilience and creativity that politics need right now to maintain a true democracy, and we believe that together we can create real fundamental changes towards more caring and collective communities.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
The best part about leading a movement from the heart of Los Angeles is the diversity of people, neighborhoods, and experiences you can encounter here. As skateboarders, eternal sunshine is also a definite bonus too.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.skatetothepolls.com
- Email: letsgo@skatetothepolls.com
- Instagram: @skatetothepolls
- Facebook: /skatetothepolls
Image Credit:
@thegnargnarhoneys
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