The Sandspur

Issue date: 4/15/05 Section: Life & Times

Media Credit: Issac Stolzenbach NICE AIR: Inspiration Skateboarding demonstrates skating techniques to an interested crowd.

Stephan Belhomme, once a homeless kid, now a sophomore at Rollins College, aims to act as an agent for change by providing underprivileged children of the Orlando-area with much needed encouragement and attention-through skateboarding.

Anthropology and Global Problem Solving, a forward-thinking course taught by Dr. Rachel Newcomb through Rollins College Anthropology Department, challenges students to think outside of the box by engaging a local service-learning project, and finding ways in which anthropology could benefit the researched organization. Belhomme, unable to find a local organization that fit his aims, developed a program of his own, but he needs the assistance of the Rollins community to make his organization a permanent fixture of the Orlando-area.

When asked why he is mixing anthropology and skateboarding together, Belhomme replied, "Currently there are no organizations that approach social concerns with skateboarding. This may seem like an odd mix, but it is actually compelling because I experienced first-hand the power skateboarding has to develop self-discipline, confidence, and intellectual growth. Qualities essential to instill in the process of empowering the underprivileged, and overlooked."

Inspiration Skateboarding, under the communal leadership of Belhomme, will take skateboarding lessons to the underserved of the Orlando-area. Piloting this organization at Fern Creek Elementary, Belhomme has enlisted the assistance of Mission Skate Park, which has served as an instrumental part in assimilating his efforts into a legitimate organization. The goal of Belhomme's organization is to instill the inherent qualities skateboarding can provide; qualities he benefited from growing up as an underprivileged youth. When asked why he thought skateboarding could benefit his group, Belhomme replied, "Personally, I feel that skateboarding has contributed a lot to my own intellectual growth. I would more than love the opportunity to pass that on to someone else. Just by riding, meeting new people, and being absorbed in the skate culture you can learn lessons of independence, self-discipline, and how to make smart decisions."

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