New Pushing Myanmar Documentary

Pushing Myanmar just released a short film on Free Skate Mag called Waso, which follows one of their beneficiaries after he discovers skateboarding at the Mya Lay Yone Skatepark in Yangon, Myanmar.

“My first recollection of Waso was as a malnourished street kid who didn’t own any shoes. He stood nervously at the entrance of the skatepark with a sack full of empty cans in one hand. One glance at him and you could tell right away he had been dealt a tough hand.

He had this mesmerised look on his face as he watched other children laughing and playing together as they whizzed around on their skateboards. Perhaps too intimidated by the joyous commotion inside the skatepark, it wasn’t until after a few visits that Waso plucked up the courage to try skating for the first time. Whatever troubles he was dealing with outside the skatepark that day, they seemed to melt away with that first push and, for a short while, he was free to be a kid.

But then he stopped coming. We just assumed that life had gotten in the way, as it does for so many children in Myanmar, and that we wouldn’t see him again. It wasn’t until one day many months later that he randomly showed up again. This time he stuck around. As Waso slowly became a regular over the years that followed we would get glimpses into his life outside the safety of the skatepark.

This film is an attempt to portray Waso’s early teenage years and to celebrate the positive impact skateboarding and the community at the skatepark has had in helping to steer him in a positive direction. 

If you would like to make a financial contribution to Pushing Myanmar and directly support beneficiaries of our programs, such as Waso, you can make donations through a newly launched PayPal page at here. We thank you in advance for your support.” – Ali Drummond