OUR PROJECTS
The Equipment Distribution Project:
This was the first and most successful campaign of Derby Without Borders, and it continues to this day. The purposes of this project is to bridge the gap between skaters in countries where equipment is readily available and skaters in countries when equipment is nearly entirely inaccessible for financial or geographical reasons.
Collecting new and used equipment at RollerCon, through individual donations, and with the support of local communities creating their own donation drives allows us to create a direct chain of support for emerging skate communities around the world.
In July of 2017 we had our first donation booth at RollerCon where we collected new and used equipment donations to be sent to Sailor City in Argentina where customs create obstacles to receiving equipment.
Our next booth was at the 2018 World Cup in Manchester where we partnered with Quad Skate Shop and Strong Athletic and collected donations for Golden Coast Roller Derby in Johannesburg, South Africa. We also worked closely with well-known skaters like Smarty Pants and the Texas Rollergirls to collect and ship donations to the Cairollers Derby Team in Cairo, Egypt. At the 2018 WFTDA Championships in New Orleans, Louisiana, we were able to collect and send equipment to both Kyoto, Japan and Lima, Peru.
In 2020 and 2021, we were also able to support SWB’s first park skating collective on Bali, Indonesia with donation shipments including 10 pairs of roller skates, many sets of protective gear, and new, properly functioning helmets. This gear has been shared with people from all over the world, as many were unable to leave the island as the pandemic shut down global travel, as the community’s donation-based weekly skate event where they teach beginner skating, park skating, and dance skating.
Travel Fundraising + Financial Support:
Through crowdfunding and community engagement, DWB was also able to offset travel costs for 2 teams based in Argentina (2x4 and Sailor City) as they attended playoffs in A Coruna, Spain. Roughly $2,500 was raised for each team who were both able to travel and compete in the tournament in September 2018. Through 2021 we also supported our Indonesian collective in raising enough money to cover shipping costs from collection centers in Australia, and to purchase even more skates to support their growing program.
As traditional methods of funding and in-person engagement continue to change, we also aim to financially support existing roller skating communities and have shared resources with groups in Mexico, South Africa, and Indonesia to maintain, pivot, and improve their programming through the pandemic.
Future Projects:
Coaching Resources to increase visibility and access to education
We have been working with an increasing number of some of the best roller derby coaches, skate park skaters, and dance skaters in the world, and many of them have enthusiastically agreed to donate their time in the regions we are working with. We aim to assist in covering their travel expenses and getting high quality coaching to our incredible beneficiary leagues + communities.
Coaching is such a valuable resource in this sport and many of our developing regions do not have the same opportunities and access to quality, in-person coaching as other regions.
Boot Camps to increase support and culturally competent accessibility
DWB is also working to create boot camps for roller derby in developing regions to help support leagues that are struggling due to a lack of resources. The goal of these boot camps is to encourage sustainable structures in leagues and potential leagues so that skaters can create a league culture of their own that is reflective of both the values of roller derby and the culture of the regions they are in. These boot camps will focus on both on and off skates workshops including: sustainable league structures, recruitment and retention, and how to coach yourself and others (minimum skills, roller derby basics, strategy and tactics).
Simultaneously, SWB aims to create skate camps that focus on building skills and confidence at the skate park, particularly for women and gender diverse individuals, as well as the experience to identify street spots or build DIY skate spots in areas where skate-able surfaces and elements are lacking.
Are you or someone you know interested in supporting our current or future projects? Hit the ‘GET INVOLVED’ button below to learn more!