Participant-Centred skateboarding in the West Bank, occupied Palestine: An Analysis of the Work of SkatePal

This chapter examines the experiences of participants at SkatePal’s Asira Al-Shamalyia skatepark in the West Bank, Occupied Palestinian Territories. Interviews were conducted with local people using the skatepark to understand the impacts that community members perceive and value in SkatePal’s work. The findings are related to theory within the Sport for Development field on anti-colonial approaches to working with communities in areas of war and protracted conflict in the global south. The chapter explores how skateboarding culture conditions the ways skateboarding organisations work within the field and seeks to contribute toward greater understanding about best practice in the field, and practical outcomes and benefits for participants.