Get to know our Community Partners!
We’ve teamed up with some amazing local partners to provide free and low-cost skating opportunities for youth this summer! Read on to learn more👇
⭐️ Active Children Portland (ACPDX) ⭐️
ACPDX is a local nonprofit working to address inequities in youth wellness and academics by providing mentor-led after-school programming for underserved kids right here in the Portland Metro area. We’ve worked with them since fall 2021 and so far have been to 4. We offer programming for the fall, spring and winter terms and provide a dedicated coach to offer lessons every week. Each session is 2 hours, twice weekly for 10 weeks and hosts 10 kids total. After the sessions, any skaters who wish to continue their derby journey can join the league through scholarship.
Learn more about ACPDX at their website
⭐ Brown Girl Rise ⭐
This is a nonprofit organization serving the greater Portland area. Together, they are a radical sisterhood of girls and non-binary youth of the global majority reclaiming their connection to body, community, land, health, and creativity to cultivate a just future. We’ve teamed up to offer free skating at a few of their events, including “Skate and Menstrate,” their most recent event for roller skating & having open discussions on menstruation and puberty. This event was exclusively for BIPOC youth aged 7-17 who identify as girls, femme, trans girls, or non-binary, and their families.
Learn more about Brown Girl Rise at their website
⭐️ Discover Champions ⭐️
Champions partners with principals, teachers, and parents to create more than 600 before- and after-school and year-round learning environments that spark wonder in children. In the summer of 2022 and 2023, we brought skating opportunities to camps hosted at Bridlemile, Astor, Kelly and Maplewood Elementary Schools. This fall, we hope to work together in developing more after-school Skatemobile programing.
Learn more about Discover Champions at their website
⭐️ NAYA (Native American Youth & Family Center) ⭐️
NAYA is a family of numerous tribes and voices who are rooted in sustaining tradition and building cultural wealth. This summer, they hosted Camp Rise, a series of free summer camps for 2nd – 8th grade youth. These camps focused on academic skill building, movement, mental wellness, and culturally specific activities to uplift youth while connecting them with other Native youth. Skatemobile staff provided skate rentals and 1-hr skating lessons to campers for each of the 4 weeks of camp.
Learn more about NAYA at their website
⭐️ Portland Parks & Rec Lunch & Play Program ⭐️
The Lunch & Play Program offers no-cost meals and activities for youth each week in Portland-area park sites throughout the summer. For the third year in a row, we’ve offered free skating at various parks over the course of the summer. This year, we’ve done a total of 10 sessions and increased attendance by more than 70%!
Learn more about Lunch & Play here
⭐️ Secret Roller Disco ⭐️
Portland’s least secret Secret Roller Disco where all wheels are welcome and festive attire is encouraged. They host skating every Thursday night, rain or shine 7-9 pm, and often have guest DJs, vendors, and the best vibes in town! Skatemobile is a frequent visitor at Secret Roller Disco, popping up to offer skate and gear rentals on a first-come, first-served basis. Follow along on Instagram to see when we’ll be there next!
Check out Secret Roller Disco on Instagram
⭐️ SheFlies ⭐️
SHE FLIES is an initiative under the Sport Oregon Foundation umbrella working to support, engage, and celebrate girls and women in sport across Oregon. Every year, they host a free, family-friendly event featuring live fitness activities, interactive exhibits, and the awarding of $125,000 in grants to deserving organizations. To celebrate receiving a grant from them this year, we brought free skating to their event to highlight the importance of roller derby as an inclusive sport for women, girls and non-binary individuals.
⭐️ Sports Bra ⭐️
This is a local sports bar that’s dedicated to women’s sports and they stream roller derby!! That’s right – you can catch all the latest action of your favorite Portland roller derby league right from the bar! Follow along on Instagram for updates on which games will be streaming.
⭐️ Sunday Parkways ⭐️
Sunday Parkways promotes healthy, active living through a series of free events opening the city’s largest public space – its streets – to walk, bike, roll, and discover active transportation. Skatemobile popped up at both the events they’ve had this year to offer free rentals to people interested in giving roller skating a shot.
Check out Sunday Parkways online
⭐️ SW Portland Martial Arts Movement Camps ⭐️
These action-packed camps work to help youth connect and expand their horizons in a safe, supportive environment. They provide quality martial arts instruction as well as giving the kids a peek at lots of other movement arts, like roller skating! We participated in 4 weeks of camp, providing a day of skating at each. One week of camp was specifically for trans youth and we had the pleasure of inviting one of our coaches to teach skating basics and talk to them about our inclusive community.
Check out SW Portland Martial Arts Movement Camp online
⭐️ TeenForce ⭐️
Portland Parks & Recreation offers exciting programs and activities for teens citywide! TeenForce strives to reflect the energy and excitement of the teens themselves in the awesome trips, classes, drop-in activities, events, and volunteer/service learning outings we program. We began our after-school programming with them in the fall term of 2022 and host skating at the Mt Scott Community Center.
