 On November 7th, the inaugural Bronx Girls Skate Session was held at River Avenue Skatepark (157). Hosted by Bronx natives Kava and Mel, the all-ages event celebrated and promoted the growth and diversity of the Bronx skateboarding scene. It featured a beginner's skate clinic, game of S.K.A.T.E., food, raffle, and more. Huge thanks to all the skaters who rolled out to show support, as well as the many sponsors who helped make it happen. Extra special thanks to Dickies and Deluxe for their ongoing support of HHF. Wrap-up video by Parlour Productions. When skateboarders rally around a cause, beautiful things happen. Case in point, on Saturday October 17th, HHF was proud to support Brooklyn Skate Garden's “Life is Beautiful” skatepark mural project which represented everything Pablo Ramirez loved most: painting, skateboarding, gardening, and music. This event is just the beginning of many more skatepark murals to come valuing the ethos of the Brooklyn Skate Garden: an all-inclusive community of skateboarders who dream to create a world-class skate garden that incorporates art, gardening, and music as a way to bring communities closer together. Wrap-up video by Parlour Productions.  For the fifth year, we're proud to announce a limited-edition collaboration with HUF that benefits the Harold Hunter Foundation. Now available via HUF's website, proceeds will be donated to HHF to support our youth-focused programming. This year's HUF x HHF drop features a co-branded hoodie, plus a t-shirt featuring a classic Harold portrait shot by Adam Woodward. Both items are available in limited quantities, while supplies last. Special thanks to HHF skaters Joel Glanville and Jack Discon for rolling out to shoot some photos in the collab gear with Mike Heikkila. And a massive shout out to HUF for their many years of support, always celebrating Harold's legacy in a positive, uplifting way. #LegendsNeverDie         On Monday, August 24th, Tompkins Square Park played host to a special community-based event called Skater Intervention. Organized by Joyce Aguero-Matos and friends, the goal of the event was to create conversation within the NYC skate community about sexual abuse and assault, supporting survivors, promoting equality, and making women feel comfortable and respected within skateboarding. Press play to watch what happened at this important event. Produced by: @ParlourProductions Camera: @RayMendezNYC / @Shutter_Ed Edit: @Pagan_AV "The power is in the people. The power is in the youth!" said NYC activist Power Malu, host of The People's Youth Hangout. Held on August 11th, It was an event focused on empowering youth to know that they can make a difference and that their voices can and will be heard. Live music, poetry, and art workshops were combined with a youth-led march in support of social justice in the heart of NYC. Thanks to everyone who came out in support and to all the organizers of this very important event. Video by: Parlour Productions
Event host: Black Lives Matter NYC - America On Trial  On Friday, August 14, the HHF crew and NYC skate community banded together for a day of service in support of the Brooklyn Skate Garden and Pablo Ramirez Foundation. Several dozen skaters rolled out to Golconda (Fat Kid) Skatepark to clean up the park, which included a horticulture workshop led by Brooklyn Skate Garden. It was rad to see so many young skaters make a positive impact on the local community and roll away with important knowledge about conservation and the importance of taking care of our parks and city. Huge thanks to all the participants and organizers of this awesome event! Video by Parlour Productions. Photos by Ben Rayner.  As an organization founded in memory of a Black skateboarder, run by a staff of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), and serving predominantly BIPOC youth in NYC, we have struggled to find the words to express the range of overwhelming emotions we have experienced over the last two weeks. While we are most known for the work we do providing scholarships to skate camp and creating positive skateboarding events and opportunities for skaters in NYC, supporting our staff and the youth we serve to manage the unrelenting challenges they face with police has been an important part of our work. Each of us on the HHF staff has had our own personal dehumanizing experiences with police misconduct and brutality. According to our 2016 needs assessment of NYC skaters, and subsequent surveys of youth involved in HHF programming, 86% of the Black youth we serve report having had encounters with police. Just last fall, we helped two Black skaters from the HHF community begin to navigate the long and difficult process of filing formal complaints, and potentially pursuing lawsuits, against NYPD officers for two separate and unrelated, deeply traumatic incidents of police brutality they experienced. These incidents happened in a single month. Despite being a small organization with an extremely lean staff and budget, we have always worked to provide all HHF youth with support and advocacy to help them navigate a biased criminal justice system and school to prison pipeline, including:
As we work to transition to a more outreach-based model in 2021 and beyond, we are committed to making these resources available to as many skaters in NYC as possible. We are filled with pride to see so many skaters standing up against police violence and brutality all around the world. We stand in solidarity with them and hope you will join us because... Black Lives Matter.
Black Dreams Matter. Black Futures Matter.  At HHF, the health and well-being of our staff, coach/mentors, and the youth we serve is our number one priority. As such, we have spent the past few weeks doing everything we can to thoughtfully and carefully respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are working to establish appropriate contingency plans.
We were gearing up to launch our 2020 programs and initiatives just as the situation began to rapidly unfold in NYC. We therefore made the following immediate changes:
We have also taken proactive measures to continue supporting our community during this difficult and challenging time:
The suspension of our programs and postponement of events will have a huge impact on HHF as an organization and on the community we serve. At this crucial time of year, we are asking HHF community members to consider making a tax-deductible donation that will ensure we have the resources available to continue the impactful work we deliver year-round. Thank you for your continued support. Please, take care of yourself and those around you, and always remain positive--we will prevail.  LEARN HOW TO THRIVE IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY FROM NYC SKATERS WHO PAVED THEIR OWN WAY TO CREATIVE CAREERS Harold Hunter Foundation (HHF) and College Skateboarding Educational Foundation (CSEF) are teaming up for a special event at Firstborn in NYC. Join us on March 14th for CREATIVE TRACKS and enjoy FREE food, beverages, networking, and panel discussions with skaters who have established successful careers in advertising, design, art direction, photography, fashion, and more.
Featured panelists include Steve Rodriguez (Founder, 5boro Skateboards & SVP Creative Services, EP+Co), Dave Snyder (CCO, Firstborn), Orlando Asson (Creative Content Producer, EP+Co), Ian Michna (Founder, Jenkem Magazine), Peter Pabón (Photographer), Justin Kinard (Motion Designer, MAC Cosmetics), and more. - Date: Saturday, March 14th - Time: 6:00-9:00pm - Location: Firstborn - 32 Avenue of Americas, 17th Floor (Tribeca) ** Please bring ID for check-in at Firstborn lobby ** Space is limited to 60 attendees. Please RSVP today to save your spot! Free food provided by Fields Good Chicken and beverages by Wave Soda. Illustration inspired by classic Andy Kessler photo by Ivory Serra. 
As we roll into a brand-new year (and decade!), we wanted to take a moment to reflect on everything that went down in 2019. It was a very exciting year!
With backing from the extended HHF community, 2019 marked the second year of the HHF Legacy Program. Once again, a group of 40 NYC skaters were connected with three coach-mentors trained through the Up2Us Sports Coach Across America program for 7-months of weekly skate sessions, 10 life-skills workshops, on-going support and mentorship, and enrichment activities--culminating in our annual week-long trip to Camp Woodward. In addition, with the support of adidas Skateboarding, we hosted another successful Harold Hunter Weekend and teamed up with Beyond the Streets for a unique fundraiser featuring custom artwork by Mark Gonzales; we launched an online store with limited-edition HHF products; we sent two HHF Legacy Program members to participate in the inaugural Laureus Youth Leadership Summit in LA; we received a grant from the Sheckler Foundation; we hit the streets for the 13th Annual HHF Bridgerun; and HHF Executive Director, Jessica Forsyth, was invited to speak at the 2nd Annual Pushing Boarders conference in Sweden. Other highlights included releasing an artist series skateboard deck with legendary urban art pioneer PHASE2 (sadly, this was his final collab ever; he passed away in December); collaborating with Zoo York--now under Old Management--on their second Zoo York x Founders capsule collection; and executing an extremely successful Crowdfunding Campaign where we not only reached our goal, but exceeded it! Harold Hunter Foundation programs continue to have a deep impact on our youth, as they become part of a positive peer group where they receive guidance and support from credible messengers. Impact data found that 93% of HHF participants made gains in targeted social emotional learning outcomes, with the greatest gains in developing a sense of positive self-identity, enhancing social skills such as empathy, and expanding social capital. We are very proud of our progress and success to date. As always, thank you for your interest in and support of HHF. We look forward to bringing you more good news in 2020 and beyond! |
Harold Hunter FoundationThe Harold Hunter Foundation (HHF) is a grassroots, community-based organization that provides support, opportunity, and advocacy for skateboarders in NYC and beyond. Archives
September 2021
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