SK876 DIY SKATEPARK
TRANSFORMING A GULLY INTO JAMAICA'S FIRST SKATE PARK
A few years ago, a group of local skaters identified an abandoned, non-functional gully (non-functional as it was never fully built) across the shore of the Caribbean sea. Under the collective "SK876" (876 is Jamaica's area phone code), they repurposed the space into an anchor for skate culture on the island. They are now on a mission to raise funds and build Jamaica's first skatepark- DIY style.
The Project at a Glance
A Bit of Background
Skate 876 is a registered association in Jamaica founded by a group of young individuals out of Bull Bay with the objective to help propel and cultivate skate culture in an authentic way.
Problem: While skateboarding may not be as "big" as reggae or dancehall, in recent years, the skate scene in Jamaica has grown in a significant way- attracting young individuals from all across the island. To date, there's a fairly large community of skaters- made of all genders, social class and ages. And with such a young population on the island (49% are ages 25< ), it is only predicted to grow.
Jamaican skaters have been organizing skate sessions in various public places- on the streets, in parking lots, abandoned buildings and even on rooftops. However-there is no skate park on the island.
But!
There's an abandoned non-functional gully (non-functional as it was never fully built) in Bull Bay, right across the shorelines of the Caribbean sea, that SK876 have been repurposing into a DIY skatepark over the years. And with proper funding, skills and equipment, it has the potential to become Jamaica's first skate park.
Solution: Rather than continue to wait for a skate park to come to life, we decided to start raising funds to continue to build off of our DIY skatepark- and transform it into something even bigger! Now we are reaching out to skate, urban, street culture supporters all over to join us on this journey.
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BIG DREAMS ALWAYS START WITH SMALL STEPS
So far, the project has been entirely DIY- meaning some cement, 1 mason, lots of friendly helping hands, bricks and cement. But to sustain momentum and progress, further funding will be needed. It is estimated that 1 obstacle will cost $150 USD (equipment, tools & skilled labour).
Donate
The objective is to build at least 5 obstacles in the gully + a NON OBSTRUCTIVE entrance so people no longer have jump down into the gully.
What's needed:
Cement, bricks, plyboard, mesh wire, additional masons, a skilled carpenter and construction tools.
$500 USD could help complete the job and as such, create the first SKATE PARK IN JA!
Get in touch
Bull Bay, Jamaica
Features
ART IN THE GULLY
What's magical about this space is that it's not JUST about skate. We've had a few artists come down and leave their mark on the grey gully walls. An initiative spearheaded by Esther Beckford, it has potential to be the first gully with actual art on the walls!