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I founded Street Workout as a teenager, as a way to stay away from toxic habits and challenge old stereotypes. Youth – in particular, minorities – face numerous obstacles growing up and I wanted to do something to help.
Street Workout was, for me and others, the best approach to ensure that my peers stayed away from drugs, alcohol, vandalism or any other destructive outlets.
Street Workout wants to show society that youth in the street can be constructive, healthy and ambitious. Here is a run-down of some of my best moments during this project:
1. At TedXYouthValladolid I was speaking about Street Workout and its benefits. It was the first time on a stage, and the first opportunity to tell the world my story. It is still one of the best experiences of my life. It really showed me that with hard work, anything is achievable.
2. I won the Jump For Health award and became a Young Changemaker. It was a great prize
, and most probably the thing that opened up many more opportunities to continue spreading my work – I was lucky to meet other Young Changemakers that are now my friends too.
3. The first Street Workout Park is in Almería and it means a lot to us. For us, it means dreams are becoming a reality. As we were training, we realised that the public parks available to us were not explicitly made for this sport and it was because of this, we suggested opening the first street workout park to the city council. Following months of hard work, our dreams became reality with the first professional workout park constructed by company Kenguru in Roquetas de Mar, Almeria.
4. We continued spreading the philosophy behind Street Workout by constructing a Street Workout Park in a school in México – with the aim of bringing life changing opportunities to the youth around Mexico.
5. Winning the International Championship at the Arnold Classic was an amazing experience. Team members from Street Workout came first, second and third which was a truly incredible achievement for us – not to mention a tremendous boost to continue our work.
6. In 2014, we organised a Battle of the Bars at Mulafest, one of Spain's greatest urban festivals. This provided the perfect opportunity to engage a diversity of people in and around our work.
7. Members from the team working out and becoming master in street workouts.
Street Workout provides the tools for young people to be proud of themselves, and become the role models of tomorrow. When you work hard, anything is achievable! Street Workout not only keeps us out of trouble, it challenges the stereotypes and offers new perspective to a disengaged youth around the world.
Have you come across a Street Workout Park before? What other amazing initiatives that are engaging young people and opening up opportunities have you come across?
- By Nourdin Maghrebin, founder of Street Workout and Ashoka Young Changemaker. The article appeared originally on VirginUnite
