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Open Society Institute – Baltimore

Open Society Institute – Baltimore

Open Society Institute (OSI) – Baltimore : Audacious Thinking For Lasting Change

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OSI Community Fellow

Stephanie Murdock

Skateboarding for Success
2010 Baltimore Community Fellow

Skateboarding has always been a passion for 2010 OSI-Baltimore fellow, Stephanie Murdock.  While working with young skaters, she began to notice that skateboarding played a major role in their day to day lives by keeping them in school, in shape and off the street.  After receiving her fellowship, Murdock launched “Skateboarding for Success,” an afterschool and weekend program for at-risk youth in the Hampden neighborhood.

Through “Skateboarding for Success,” local youth have a safe place to skateboard while receiving a number of supports and services. Mentoring, lessons, leadership development and academic support are just a few of the resources available to youth involved in the program. They are also learning advocacy skills by being involved in the development of a skate park in their neighborhood, which Murdock says is keeping them engaged and out of trouble.

Murdock hopes that through the changes she’s seen in the youth involved, city residents will see the need for more public skateparks and the great impact they can have on the development of youth.

“A lot of these students are more than skateboarders,” Murdock says. “They are also artists and musicians and want to be engaged in a multitude of activities.  They just need a space where they can do these things and just be themselves. “

As she continues her fellowship, Murdock hopes to secure more funding to sustain and expand her program, and is looking forward to seeing her students successfully transition from youth to adults.

“I want to connect  younger skaters with older ones, so they can see there are role models and people to look up to,” she says.

Related Stories

  • Stephanie Murdock
  • Building a skatepark in West Baltimore is all about equity and the right to have fun
  • Baltimore magazine highlights OSI Fellows and partners
  • OSI Community Fellows Speak Out, Break Ground, Win Prizes
OSI Community Fellow pens op-ed for New York Times

About Baltimore Community Fellowshop

The Open Society Institute-Baltimore launched the Community Fellowships network in 1998. It is now a corps of social innovators 180 strong. The program seeks dynamic activists and social entrepreneurs interested in implementing projects that address problems in underserved communities in Baltimore City. Fellowship awards are in the amount of $60,000 for a term of 18 months.

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