Connect Skateboarding Attends the First-Ever Social Skate Summit in London
- 19 hours ago
- 3 min read
We just got back from London, where we had the opportunity to attend the first-ever Social Skate Summit. A gathering of incredible people using skateboarding as a tool for community building, education, wellbeing, inclusion, and social impact.
Hosted at University College London (UCL), the two-day summit brought together skate project founders, grassroots organizers, educators, researchers, and skaters from all over the world who are working to make skateboarding more accessible and meaningful in their local communities. It was inspiring to hear the stories behind the projects, programs, and initiatives helping shape the future of skateboarding worldwide.
Day One - Social Skate Summit
The summit opened with Mutual Aid, a large community mixer led by The Goodpush Alliance.
In this mixer, we got to connect with other social skate project founders from around the world and exchange ideas, listen to the stories and struggles they’ve experienced throughout their journeys, and talk openly about how each person is developing their projects - what’s working, what isn’t, and what we can all learn from each other along the way.
The session featured eight collective conversations focused on:
Trauma-Informed Practice
Inclusion, Belonging & Safe Spaces
Funding & Sustainability
Leadership, Teams & Community
Skateboarding, Youth Work, Education & Research
Advocacy, Infrastructure & Accessible Skate Spaces
Creative, Media, Marketing & Storytelling
Open Connection Space
After the mixer, we headed over to City Mill Skatepark at UCL East for a lunch-break skate & network session.
City Mill Skate is a unique research project that used a shared design process to create a series of semi-permanent skateable objects integrated into the public spaces of UCL East. Opened to the public in October 2022, the space has become a hub for skateboarding activity, hosting lessons, skate jams, community events, and opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to get involved in skateboarding.
Following our lunch break, the rest of the afternoon featured several powerful panel discussions focused on:
How to Build a Social Skate Project: Caring for Communities and Creating Inclusive Spaces - This panel brought together organizers who are building social skate projects and leading community initiatives. Drawing on their experiences, the discussion explored how skate programs can become more inclusive and responsive to the needs of different communities.
Creating Sustainable Social Skate Careers: Many social skate projects begin with passion: a small group of people creating opportunities in their community simply because they care. This discussion dove into what it takes to sustain that work over time and challenges of turning grassroots energy into sustainable projects, from securing funding and building partnerships to developing teams, strengthening leadership, and preventing burnout.
After our panel discussions, we ended day one with an epic session at BaySixty6 Skate Park.
BaySixty6 Skatepark is a not-for-profit skatepark and community organization based in London, working toward charity status. Its focus is on providing a safe, inclusive space where people of all ages and backgrounds can learn, skate, and progress through structured coaching, community sessions, and events.
Day Two - Social Skate Summit
Day two shifted toward research, wellbeing, and long-term impact.
We started day 2 with Collective Impact: How to Prove the Positive Impact Skateboarding Can Have, presented by The Goodpush Alliance. The discussion explored practical ways organizations can demonstrate impact beyond participation numbers, focusing on outcomes like confidence, belonging, resilience, and community connection.
That was followed by more panel discussions centered around:
Understanding Physical Wellbeing in Skateboarding: Strength, Safety and Longevity
The Mental Health Impact of Skateboarding: Support, Resilience and Community
The mental health discussion reinforced something we see regularly in our own programs: skateboarding is often just as much about connection, confidence, and community as it is about learning tricks.
To close the summit, everyone headed to Southbank Skate Space for a high-energy session. Skating such an iconic spot alongside all the amazing people over the weekend was an unforgettable way to end the summit.
Final Thoughts
We attended the summit to connect with others and learn more about how skateboarding is being used to build stronger communities around the world.
The summit was a great reminder of how important the community side of skateboarding really is. Skateboarding lives in the people and communities built around it, not just what happens on the board. It reinforced the value of creating welcoming spaces for people, especially those who may not have always felt included or supported elsewhere. When it’s built with intention, skateboarding becomes more than just an activity, it becomes a place of belonging.
A huge thank you to the Social Skateboarding Summit and everyone who shared their work, ideas, and experiences throughout the weekend.
We came home inspired, motivated, and excited to keep building with our local skate community. 🛹❤️
We also put together a video recap covering both days of the summit HERE.
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