The Rural Changemakers Tour Europe 2017 by ulrike reinhard

The Rural Changemakers Tour Europe 2017

www.rural-changemakers.com

The Rural Changemakers Tour Europe 2017 By Ulrike Reinhard

A big thank you goes to ... (in alphabetical order): Boerding Messe GmbH | Cool Cats | Decathlon France Huis Happaert Antwerp | Heinrich BĂśll Stiftung | IBIS Budget Hotel Antwerp Madhya Pradesh Tourism | Synaxon AG and many private people â&#x20AC;&#x201C; friends / family.

Photo Â© Conrad Bauer

The Rural Changemakers

Ramkesh,10, Arun,14 and Sujin, 16, are three young Indian skateboarders. They live in small villages in the rural parts of the country – far away from sanitation, electricity and any kind of comfort. All of them are tribals – they don’t belong to any caste and they are usually the ones who are suppressed in their villages. They are considered as “impure”. Skateboarding has changed their lives. It brought them back to school and offered new chances and opportunities for their lives. And they’ve taken their chance. Among many others these three young skateboarders have become a beacon for change through skateboarding the whole world over.

The Tour 3.200 kilometers. Five countries. Five weeks

The Rural Changemakers Tour Europe 2017 The Rural Changemakers Tour Europe – as many things in Janwaar – started out of a mood. And then we usually do it. Same with our trip to Europe. The idea was born in March 2016 when two volunteers from Australia came to Janwaar and invited two of our girls for a visit. So we thought we would take two boys to Europe. As a fair deal between girls and boys! Then our Janwaar Castle Skateboarding Challenge happened in November 2016. And we thought why not taking the best overall skateboarder of the challenge, Sujin Baizal from Kerala to Europe as well. We asked him and he happily joined. And then we were three :-) Why them?

The „selection process“ in Janwaar, meaning who will be the lucky ones to go, wasn’t really a selection process. It more or less simply happened. “Why them?” many people kept asking me. To be very honest there is no clear answer to this. What I can say is that both of the Jjanwaar kids performed very well at the skateboarding challenge last November. They are really good skateboarders, no doubt. But what was even better than their skateboarding performance, was the way they interacted with others and how they’ve been accepted in their own communities because of their social behaviour. They simply stood out from the rest.

Ramkesh Gond, age 10, our „little“ one, has probably the finest smile in the entire village. A killer smile which gave him the nickname „Prince Charming“ during our travels. He is very calm, almost shy when you first meet him. He is a natural observer who takes his time to make a decision. Before he does something, he has made up his mind, he clearly knows what he wants. And this makes him very strong. He avoids any kind of hazzle, but takes a lead if needed. He is curious and smart. And he surely is „one“ with his board. A natural talent. He has his very own style and truly loves floating around on his board. Even elder boys look up to him. Arun Adivasi, age 14, lives close to Ramkesh in Janwaar. They are neighbors in their village. What comes easy to Ramkesh, Arun has to work a bit harder for. But he is ready for it. Arun is a very responsible young boy, he is 100% reliable and I always know he will do his very best to get things done. Sometimes I feel he needs a bit more ease, but then I think it will come with time. And this is what I saw during our travels - he took responsibility and still enjoyed the moment! Arun is very honest. Over the last year he has become one of our best skateboarders and even among the Yadav boy community, the kids trust and follow him. Which is quite unusual. During our travels he clearly took the lead for all three of them. Ramkesh and Arun visited and Sujin, age 16, in April this year to „prepare“ their trip and to get to know each other better. They went on a 52-hours train

trip all the way from Panna to Trivandrum – 2400 km one way! They saw for the first time the ocean and learnt what a fishermen village is. So now imagine – this is our set: These three boys live all in small villages in the rural parts of the country – far away from sanitation, electricity and any kind of comfort. All of them are tribals – they don’t belong to any caste and they are usually the ones who are suppressed in their villages. They are considered as “impure”. Skateboarding has changed their lives. It brought them back to school and offered them new chances and opportunities. And they’ve taken their chance. Among many others these three young skateboarders have become a beacon for change through skateboarding the whole world over. And now they are traveling to Europe. In a completely new world. The first time on an airplane. The first time so long away from home. The first time in a foreign country. And so many more first times … Why this trip at all?

I thought this trip will give these three kids the chance to become even better changemakers and empower them to take a lead and guide other kids on their ways. To explore new territories and to push your own boundaries are part of this process. And this is what we’ve been doing during the trip. Could we have done this in India as well? Many people were asking me. I truly believe no, it wouldn’t have been the same. The different culture, the language, the food, the surrounding – all this were brand new experiences and learnings for them. Informal, but very real. Something they had to live through, something they could grasp. It was really beyond their imagination and bey-

ond any cultural bonds. It added a flavor to their personality, very individually, which they will never ever forget in their entire lives. And with the skateboards under their arms as their best travel companions it was pretty easy to navigate through the unknown. Heidelberg is the my hometown and the kids really wanted to see where I come from. This is why our first stop was this picturesque old student town at the Neckar River. We stayed at Bea’s place – Bea was quite familiar with all the kids, because since the beginning she does all our creative work: the logo, the layout of our newspaper and books and and and. So she knew them already virtually. The kids quickly felt at home, they got used to the bathroom and surroundings. They overcame jet lag and were surprised and challenged by the food. „What the hack is this!“ :-)

Heidelberg, our first stop

A friend gave them bicycles to roam around in the city. They easily found their way to the skatepark, they learned which bridges to take to reach there, where to get candies and Indian food. Usually they had a piece of paper in their pocket with our address and phone number – but quickly they’d reached a stage where everyone would know where to send them, people knew the Janwaar kids are in town. Every now and then they felt a bit homesick, but this didn’t stop them to have tremendous fun. Phone calls with the families back home helped a lot against homesickness. And it vanished completely when our surprise guest Mannan, whom I work with in Janwaar, showed up. He came in from France where he’d spent a family vacation with his sisters. On his arrival day, he was sitting at the breakfast table when the kids woke up. What a surprise it was – the kids overflooded him with their stories in Hindi. 11

By lunch, the kids got another surprise, Claire and Graham, our friends from Canada who spent time during our last year’s competition in Janwaar, showed up. We had a full house! It was like “Janwaar away from Janwaar“. The kids took them to the skatepark in Heidelberg. It’s really a beautiful one, built under a bridge next to the Neckar river. On the way back, they showed them all their hot spots – the playground, the candy store, their friend’s house and the Indian restaurant. They really missed Indian food, but slowly and steadily they found their German favorites: croissants, Bretzel, Dampfnudel and most of all jam. For a change in sports a friend of mine took all of them for a tennis session. Gerhard and his friend showed them patiently how to hit the ball. 300 balls were flying around. The coach said the Rural Changemakers were really really good considering it was there first time holding a tennis racket in their hands. One of the highlights in Heidelberg was certainly the visit at the “Arabian” hairdresser. They all got a new, very stylish haircut! I’ve leaned „undercut“ is the name of the style! It was a big show and the owners of the salon didn’t hesitate to join. Looking back Heidelberg was the right spot to start the tour. It’s not too big, it’s cozy and – because it was so familiar to me – the kids felt easily „at home“ as well. It was a good start. After Heidelberg hip Berlin was waiting for them. Berlin, again a home match

In a rental car Mannan drove safe and secure the entire gang to German’s capital. We managed the 630 km in less than six hours and we made it just in time for our first “official” meeting. It was with Jost Palachy, head of the Asia department at the Heinrich Böll Stiftung, the organization who sponso-

red the kids’ flights from and to India. We learned about their work and their reasons for supporting us. And they learned more about our village, challenges and our journey ahead. It was very interesting to know how the Heinrich Böll Stiftung is helping the German government to stay in touch with ground realities by connecting to grassroots initiatives like ours. It was a unique experience for all of us – a quite unusual meeting. In Berlin we stayed at kids heaven! In a train wagon transformed into a bed room at MellowPark, a skatepark campus a bit outside the city’s center in former East Germany. It’s a big campus with four big skateparks, a basketball court, and a superb BMX race track. The kids got BMX bikes and started to learn the new sport – full of excitement. In Berlin we knew we would meet our friends from Blam Studio again. Julian and Bemo had been to Janwaar last November, so the kids were happy to see them again. And vice versa. With Blam Studio on board, three days of intense filming and exploring Berlin started. They took us around to historical places and skateboarding spots. The Rural Changemakers visited the Jewish memorial where I was trying to give them a history lesson. We went to one of the most famous skateboarding spots in Berlin – The Kulturforum. The courtyard of the museum is designed as big big slope. In addition, it has stairs, high and low pedestals, rails etc. The Rural Changemakers shredded the space along with Julian, Bemo, Lucas and Conrad – the Blam Studio team. One big open skatepark! We did a “soft drink tasting” there. Julian had bought a variety of popular German soft drinks – such as Capri Sonne, Mate, Bionade, vanilla milk – for the kids to try. Some they liked, some they didn’t – it was fun to see their reactions to these new tastes.

Decathlon had organized an event for the Changemakers at their megastore at Berlin-Alexanderplatz. Arun gave a talk in Hindi and told his story. Then Decathlon unveiled the limited Janwaar Castle Skateboard Edition. A big moment. The kids were very proud to have their own board label now! Of course, a big thing! Towards the end of the journey in Berlin, the Rural Changemakers attended the Berliner Liste â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fair for Contemporary Art in the East Side Gallery. The Art Show is one of the most popular art events in the city. In association with Boards Without Borders, we showcased five ARTBOARDS â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which were painted in a common effort by our kids and the kids at Art Ichol, an Art Center not far away from Janwaar. Bemo and Julian turned out to be the greatest auctioneers. While Julian was animating the people with his incredibly welltrained voice to join the auction, Bemo â&#x20AC;&#x201C; having little Ramkesh on his shoulder â&#x20AC;&#x201C; was telling the Janwaar story. A true performance â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and, as usual, Ramkesh was the star! The funds we raised were used for the tour itself. We needed to get going ;-)đ&#x;&#x2122;&#x201A; The Rural Changemakers explored many other skateparks in Berlin. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;dogshitâ&#x20AC;? park became their most favorite! At the Skatehalle Berlin they had an interaction with the local skateboarding scene â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and at Gleisdreieck they loved the bowl! Ramkesh honed his kick-flip, Arun started using ollie to jump on rails, grind on stairs and Sujin got better in his freestyle skateboarding techniques. After six exciting days in Berlin and a lovely farewell dinner at â&#x20AC;&#x17E;ClĂ¤rchens Ballhausâ&#x20AC;&#x153; in Mitte, the Rural Changemakers and I continued our journey to Cologne, while Mannan left for India. 14

A cheery adieu! Our bus from Berlin to Cologne was a challenge in so many ways. Besides the fact that it was completely overbooked, it was running five hours late. Unfortunately these Flixbus bus stops in Cologne are far from the city center. In our case, to be more precise, the bus stop was in Leverkusen (a different town) and by the time we finally reached, no city trains and buses were running any more. Too late. Lucky us, a friend of a colleague of ours was patiently waiting until we arrived and dropped us at our pretty comfortable airbnb. Thank you Jean-Philippe and Decathlon!

Cologne/Gummersbach

Next morning we slept long and enjoyed a delicious breakfast before we took the regional train to Gummersbach. There we met the architect who had designed the skatepark in Janwaar. At the youth center in Gummersbach he had build a new park including a bowl! It was a nice ride for the kids. The barbecue after the session was highly appreciated and the kids had for their first time a (chicken) Bratwurst! And they liked it! Hendrik, a former volunteer in Janwaar, joined us for a session. Later he dropped us in Cologne on our way back. The kids were deeply impressed by his powerful American jeep. And he was impressed by the way the kids have improved in their skateboarding skills. He hasn’t seen them for a year and a half. We walked over the Bahnhofsbrücke with the setting sun behind the Kölner Dom ahead of us. Beautiful. We ended this lovely day with an ice-cream – well-deserved.

Next morning we had to leave very early for Antwerp. Even though it was „only“ mid September, it was pretty cold. Unusually cold for this time of the year. Antwerp advanced to an unexpected highlight!

In Antwerp everything went perfectly right from the first minute. When we arrived with our tremendous amount of luggage at the IBIS Budget Hotel at the Central Station – Jaqueline, the manager, gave us an extraordinary warm welcome. She was so curious to find out what we were up to and couldn’t believe what we were doing when she heard the story. She really took care of us and we felt at home. The kids loved it – especially the plenty croissants for breakfast! 30 minutes after arrival we found ourselves right next to the river Schelde at huge skatepark where The Antwerp Skate Contest took place. And our Rural Changemakers had the honor to inaugurate this event. The sports major welcomed them and they received some cool new skateboards. This was huge and the kids did well. Sunny blue skies! While Ramkesh decided not to give interviews, Sujin and Arun were patiently answering the questions of the journalist in English! When they saw later their „faces“ on Belgium TV, they felt pretty proud :-) Here are the links to the TV podcasts: http://antwerpskatecontest.be/2017/09/15/skateboarders-arechangemakers/ https://atv.be/nieuws/video-drie-jonge-indische-skaters-op-uitwisselingin-antwerpen-49343

Another surprise was waiting in Antwerp. Paul van Gelder, the person who is running the NGO Sujin comes from, SISP India, was on his yearly vacation back home and he dropped in with friends. Sujin didn’t know. He was overwhelmed when they met. A very emotional moment for both of them. So the afternoon the kids got a tour through Antwerp by Paul and his friends and enjoyed „Les Frittes!“ And I had a few hours off. The three Rural Changemakers were drawn into the contest. They hardly skateboarded by themselves but they watched intensely and were amazed by the quality they saw. Arun said: „I thought I am a good skateboarder. But when I see them, I know that there is way more to learn!“ A friend of mine, Prakhar Mishra, who is currently in Brussels, came by and brought back some „Hindi“ feeling to the kids. They roamed around in Antwerp and had fun. Meanwhile we had moved from the IBIS Budget Hotel to the Happaert Huis in south Antwerp. It’s a magnificent location, bathed in history, in a stylish and inspirational setting. Ellen, the manager of the house, who had invited me for the TEDxWomenFlanders, hosted us. We had the entire house for ourselves which again was overwhelming. When Prakhar arrived he was asking me: „Is this house yours?“ My answer was a simple smile :-) The bathrooms were as huge as a regular room and they had a bathtub in the middle of the room – the kids couldn’t believe what they saw. So I gave another round of explanations how to use it and so on, and once in a while I could hear from my room that the kids enjoyed their new playground.

First tensions!

In Antwerp we also had our first serious tensions. One evening we were sitting in a small, very simple restaurant. An elder couple was sitting right next to us at a table. They were curious and asked the kids if they were from Pakistan. You should have seen the kids’ faces – all their blood went into their feet. And one of them made a very unpleasant and barefaced gesture with his hands. This was the moment I freaked out. I asked him: „Do you know any Pakistani?“ He said; „No!“. I said: „Have you ever been to Pakistan?“ He again answered „no“. „So, why do you re-act like this? You don’t know any Pakistani but you do say f**k them! How can this be?“ I was really besides myself because of this stupid, uneducated, brainwashed kind of behavior. I asked the boy: „Has anyone treated you here in Europe disrespectful because of your look or color or have they all welcomed you with open arms. Just if you were one of them?“ All he could say was that he was treated well. Still he insisted that Pakistani people are bad and he even started to lie, saying that he hasn’t made the hand sign. This was more than I could handle. The other two boys were irritated as well. Late at night I got a Hindi speaking friend on SKYPE and I was trying to make my points clear – that all people should be treated as equal and that they are equal – no matter how they look like or where they come from. I was also trying to explain that the three of them have been welcomed as equals by everyone here in Europe – even though many people didn’t know where they come from. I felt some kind of understanding and some relief. Next morning we did the same in Malayam, the language Sujin is speaking in the South. I think he understood my point, but he didn’t understand why such a behavior couldn’t be tolerated. In one line he

thought this entire thing wasn’t worth to be discussed. He had made up his mind. It was really sad to see how deep this hate between India and Pakistan is rooted even among kids and how brainless this hate is taken for granted. A huge brain washing machine in full swing – this is not the way peace can be achieved. I only hope that my (over)reaction at least made the kids think a bit! Decathlon was one of our best travel companions – they really supported us in the best possible way. And no, I am not talking about money and hardware, I really appreciate the mindset of these people and the way how they support us. They truly understand our project and work and its social impact and they are happy to see what skateboarding can do. Thank you Jean-Philippe and thank you to your entire team!

Decathlon Headquarters Lille!

In Lille our Rural Changemakers had the chance to look behind the scenes and visit the Decathlon labs. They learned how to test skateboards and other sport equipment, they were amazed by the way the people took care of their tools and they realized that Decathlon is much much more than skateboarding. The headquarter includes huge office space, I think 1000 people are working there, it has a huge store – all around the bicycle – and they have huge areas for sports activities. Ramkesh, Arun and Sujin had the great pleasure to inaugurate their mini ramp the day we visited. It was a huge party and all the skateboarders from Lille came in the evening to drop the ramp. And the kids among them! Inbetween skateboarding, food and drinks all of us watched the video which Decathlon and Blam Studio did last year for our Skateboarding Challenge in Janwaar. It was great fun!

Next morning we were off to Paris! Paris, Bordeaux and beyond!

Paris – three days and two birthdays! Sujin and I celebrated our common birthday at the Eiffel Tower and we had a lovely Indian dinner at Antonella Zurini’s house, a friend of mine in Paris. Antonella is also working in India, very close to where we are and she is planning to build her own skatepark. It was a lovely day! We approached the Eiffel Tower from La Trocadero – there you really have the tower in front of you. And besides this, it’s a lovely skateboarding spot. We explored the city by skateboards. We went along the Promenade Plantee from Bois de Vincennes to La Bastille, of course the kids shredded with the locals La Place de la République and they went to the graffiti hot spot Bercy, right next to the river Seine. Unfortunately the Palais de Tokyo was closed because of a private event – but being there, the changemakers got a glimpse of it. An incredible spot. A highlight and a nice surprise dropped in via Element. The kids were invited to their store in Paris and they all got new shoes, trucks and wheels – with smiling faces they left the store. In Paris we were picked up by Jerome and the wonderful Choko, France’s most popular „skateboarding watching“ dog. This dog has a temper of a lovely elephant, nothing is stretching his nerves and he lives his happy life without any rules. Loved by everyone. He really added to our tour something special. So did Jerome. He is a friend of Julian from Blam Studio and Jerome dropped in, not only with his dog but also with his van which made our travels much more comfortable and convenient. And on top of that Jerome,

being a well-known skateboarder himself, knows every skatepark and all the skateboarders in Southern France. He opened the doors for us at Darwin Skatepark, a DIY space, in Bordeaux, he introduced us to the Magenta skateboarder Sebdo Daurel (Sebdo Show) and he got us into Rekiem and Volcom in Anglet. In short: skateboarding heaven and plenty of experiences first hand. In Bordeaux our camping season started. Well equipped with tents, bed and mattresses we unfolded our tents in beautiful gardens and once even at the beach. Our meals we cooked on a small gas oven – it was great fun and really tasty. Fish, chicken – you name it. Vive la cuisine francaise! We had the privilege to stay at Sebastian Daurel’s (Sebdo) house/garden and he gave the kids individual training session. Dry runs, laying on their backs and balancing the skateboard on their feet. Not as easy as it sounds! And very challenging for the bally muscles. Sebdo is part of the Magenta team, a group of French skateboarders, who have invented their very own style of skateboarding. They are disrupting the commercial skateboarding circle. Sebdo was very much intrigued by Janwaar Castle and together with Jerome we were making plans how to get them to India! We all hope we will succeed. In Anglet, close to Bayonne, the Rural Changemakers met another well known french skateboarding group: Rekiem. With Jerome, one of the leading faces of Rekiem, they got the chance to visit their “factory”. Rekiem skateboards are handmade skateboards. They produce only 1000 skateboards per year. At the place they really could see and understand the entire production process of a skateboard: from the seven different layers of wood, the pressing procedure, the shaping and cutting to the final polishing. They were really drawn into it. Another wonderful experience! 21

Barcelona – The final countdown!

The first handshake in Barcelona in front of our „new“ home Arun made with a Pakistani boy, maybe a year or two younger than himself. This guy came when we unloaded the van and asked if they were from Pakistan ... you should have seen their faces ;-) Once Again! Arun said politely: “No, I am from India!” And then they spoke in Hindi and Arun was very much surprised ... The “barrier” was there and one could feel it, but Arun managed well. When they shook hands – I could read in Arun’s face: “My first meeting with someone from Pakistan! And this guy simply comes and talks to me!” Beautiful coincidence. And it shows nicely how such thing easily happen on „neutral“ ground. Ramkesh and Sujin, the latter slightly uncomfortable, joined later ... The Pakistani boy was living just two houses away so they ran into each other frequently. I only hope they got a glimpse of that people are people and politics are politics. In Barcelona we finally had great weather. Sunshine all day and warm. It was the time when tiredness set in. It had been a long trip and we all were getting ready to go back home. The kids’ enthusiasm had peaked and they were counting the days until departure. Nevertheless we had a lot of fun. Without any doubt Barcelona is the world’s hotspot in skateboarding. The best skateboarders practice there regularly. On a Sunday – on our way to Badia skatepark, a DIY spot a bit outside the city center – we got stuck in a huge demonstration. More than 350.000 people were in the streets around Plaza Catalunya to express their opinion on the Catalan Referendrum. It was all very peaceful, very colorful and very

loud. The subway to our destination was packed and the people were endlessly discussion the matter. I was surprised to see so many „Pro Spain“ people – I expected rather the opposite. I explained the kids what was going on and compared it with Kashmir … a vague comparison I know, but at least they understood the Catalan wish to become independent. So they got an idea of the situation. We stayed in Badalona and had the beautiful beach right in front of our door. We went for a couple of swims and cruised along the beach walk with the skateboards. The kids tried the Spanish national dish Paela (with seafood) in one of the beach restaurants, they loved the rice but the fishy taste wasn’t theirs. These last few days really felt like holidays. The kids went shopping for some souvenirs and they bought gifts for their parents, brothers and sisters. Once we reached he airport in Barcelona it was really time to go. A great experience had come to an end. We all were a bit exhausted – still we enjoyed every minute. One last big show off from Ramkesh on the airplane. He took on his headsets, found a Hindi music program and started singing out loudly the Bollywood songs. Everyone was looking at him. And smiling. And he didn’t even realized why this was happening! He simply kept on singing. This trip was simply incredible. So many things didn’t work out. 23

So many new things popped up and made it an even greater experience. It was the effort of a huge network which made all this possible. A huge family & friends community who is sharing the same values and beliefs. Thank you to all of you! Delhi Airport

We arrived late at night at Delhi Airport. Mannan, Michael, one of our volunteers in Janwaar, and the kids’ parents were waiting for us. Some tears were running down the cheeks. I think the short interview Mannan has taken with Jalsabai, Arun’s mother, and Siyabai, Ramkesh’s mother, summarizes their feelings pretty well: "We are waiting for Arun and Ramkesh at the airport. It is our first time here. The last 5 weeks have been worrisome. But sometimes we were also strong. When people said, where are your kids, how will they come back, if they go missing will you be able to find them? We said, we won’t be able to find them, but we’ll wait patiently in our body. Some day they will come back when they are grown up. Now we were going in happiness to receive the kids. And when we go back with the kids, now we will have fun.“

From Delhi to Frankfurt Our flights were booked by the Heinrich Böll Stiftung in Delhi. It was the kid’s first flight ever, first time at the airport. They were all pretty excited. Lucky us we were traveling Lufthansa – it was an easy check in, they wrapped nicely our skateboards and surprise, surprise, they upgraded us :-) We had a pretty comfortable flight.

HEIDELBERG

Exploring the city by bike Heidelberg is small enough so that the kids could explore it by bike and they loved it! They've had a note in their pockets with the address and our phone numbers in case they got lost, but it was never ever needed. Ramesh fell truly in love with his bike.

First phone call back home Twice a week we called the parents, family and friends back home. And as you can easily see, Arun and Ramkesh were very happy. Pappu, our local guy in Janwaar, always brought the parents and who ever wanted to Panna because in Janwaar there is no network connectivity. Sometimes more than 10 people were waiting to get their soundbite!

For a change: Tennis

Janwaar away from Janwaar In Heidelberg the kids had two big surprises at one day! First: Mannan, was sitting at the breakfast table one morning and for lunch Claire and Graham joined from France. The two Canadians had spent a few weeks in Janwaar last year during over skateboarding competition and they constantly support us through crowdfunding events. It was a day just like â&#x20AC;&#x153;Janwaar away from Janwaar!â&#x20AC;?

Under the bridge In Heidelberg the skatepark is right under one of the Neckar bridges â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it is also a hot spot for graffiti. Ramkesh loved this park between all the colors you can hardly see him!

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cold! Mannan is explaining Ramkesh how to warm up his hands.

Into the forest We took the mountain train all the way up from Heidelberg to the Kรถnigstuhl. When we told the kids that we would walk down through the forest, their first question was: What kind of animals are in the jungle? They were in ease when they heard no tigers and leopards :-)

38 Photo Â© Conrad Bauer

HELLO BERLIN!

Mellowpark This was the home of our rural changemakers in Berlin: A train coach at Mellowpark Skatehalle.

Limited Janwaar Castle Skateboard Edition At the Decathlon store at Alexanderplatz another big surprise was waiting for the changemakers: a limited edition of Janwaar Castle skateboards! Wow! Ramkesh couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait to get his board ready!

Photo Â© Conrad Bauer

Berlin Gleisdreieck Arun and Ramkesh did some â&#x20AC;&#x153;freestyleâ&#x20AC;? at the Gleisdreieck! The kids loved this place!

Photo Â© Conrad Bauer

The first drop into a bowl at Berlin Gleisdreieck!

Photo ÂŠ Conrad Bauer

Kulturforum Berlin

Photo © Conrad Bauer

Softdrink tasting! During a skateboarding break we gave them a few German soft drinks to taste – all new tastes. Some they liked, such as vanilla milk and Hollunder Bionade, other they didn’t like. Mate didn’t score high at all :-) It was fun as one can easily see. Photo © Conrad Bauer

Berlin Contemporary Artfair Boards without Borders exhibited a few of our artboards at the art show. Bemo and Julian from BLAM Studio hosted an exceptional auction with Ramkesh, our “Prince Charming”, in the top seat!

Travels On our way from Berlin to Cologne â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this part of the trip we did by bus. Getting around was sometimes quite a challenge with all our luggage but after a couple of trips we became slowly better!

GUMMERSBACH

Stop Gummersbach At Gummersbach Jugendzentrum. Arun and Sujin interacting with the son of Ralf Maier, the architect who designed the skatepark in Janwaar. Ralfâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s son, only four years old, kept talking in German to the our kids .... and somehow they managed to understand!

ANTWERP

Skate Contest Antwerp In Antwerp the Barefoot Skateboarders had the honor to open the Skate Contest Antwerp. This was a big thing!

At the Schelde Right next to the skateboarding venue is Antwerpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beautiful river, the Schelde. While Ramkesh was enjoying the view and the boats, Arun and Sujin were busy giving interviews.

Time for a break Ramkesh and Ulrike

From Antwerp to Lille We took an early morning train from Antwerp to Lille. Lucky us we found some nice people who helped us with all our luggage. Luggage was a challenge for itself!

LILLE Artboards A designer at Decathlon made these wonderful ARTBOARDS for the opening of the mini ramp at the Decathlon headquarter.

Tools We enjoyed a tour through the labs at Decathlon. The kids learned how to test skateboards, how much pressure they need during the shaping process and and and. The thing which really caught their attention was the â&#x20AC;&#x153;orderâ&#x20AC;? how the staff kept their tools ... unseen of in India :-)

Skateboarding is on! The mini ramp was launched at the Decathlon headquarter. It was amazing to see how how many enthusiastic people came to party and to skateboard. It really felt that Decathlon has a quite unique â&#x20AC;&#x153;workingâ&#x20AC;? atmosphere or call it corporate culture!

The First Janwaar Castle Challenge The mini ramp was launched at the Decathlon headquarter. It was amazing to see how how many enthusiastic people came to party and to skateboard. It really felt that Decathlon has a quite unique â&#x20AC;&#x153;workingâ&#x20AC;? atmosphere or call it corporate culture!

PARIS

Paris Youth Hostel In Paris we stayed at a youth hostel very close to Place de la Bastille and Bercy, the legendary skatepark. The room. was clean but small, it was an experience of its own.

Easy to go! For me it’s really quite astonishing how easy it was to travel with the kids – they are really easy going. Great respect and thank you for that! Slowly they've managed to learn packing, how to get the endless bags in and out the buses and trains ... and how NOT to block the entire way when a metro or bus is arriving :-) As “disciplined” as Ramkesh is sitting here in the subway, that’s the way they act all the way.

Exploring Paris in the autumn sun!

The Eiffel Tower We went to Trocadero to have the “first” view of the Eiffel Tower. And it made “BANG!” The kids loved it!

BORDEAUX

At DIY Darwin Skatepark Lunch break at Darwin skatepark in Bordeaux â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the kids loved the skatepark and its surroundings. Thanks Seb Daurel for your hospitality and guidance. It couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have been better.

Big dreams!

Camping in Anglet! Thanks to Decathlon we were well equipped for our camping endeavor! It was really fun! Arun and Ramkesh were getting the badminton net ready !

Handmade skateboards! Thanks to Jerome, the guy who came to rescue us with his van and Choko, the lovely dog, we could visit Rekiem Skateboards – Jerome is “riding” their boards. It was a look behind the scenes .... We all loved the place. Rekiem skateboards are handmade skateboards, they produce 1000 boards a year ...

BARCELONA

For a change: Paella The kids werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really pleased with the Paella, they clearly do prefer their Indian rice :-)

Street Skateboarding Off with the big guys today â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the kids were cruising Barcelona with the Antiz Skateboards team.

Time for a break The beach and water just north of Barcelona, in Badalona, was great! Crystal clear refreshing water.

Choko Choko is the best travel companion one can imagine. He loves to watch skateboarding and he loves to sleep! He is never ever in a bad temper! We miss him so much!