This Christmas, The Skateroom’s creatives have unveiled gifts for art lovers, a selection of limited edition works by renowned artists such as Andy Warhol or Ai WeiWei. Ranging from entry-level prices at just €160, to hand signed collectors’ items and exclusive collaborations at €4,850, there’s a deck for every art aficionado.

The Skateroom is an active and expanding social entrepreneurship whose main purpose is to help affect change, and, one such NGO is Skateistan.

Skateistan believes that the community-building effects of skateboarding are especially powerful in Afghanistan, which has experienced over 30 years of ongoing conflict and social dislocation. Operating as an Afghan NGO, Skateistan builds trust among youth and develops their confidence, leadership, and life skills.

Just one year ago, Skateistan launched a new initiative, Citizens of Skateistan. The international community of supporters, skaters, students and staff, united together to support skateboarding and education around the world. CoS is a platform designed for a growing global community, the stories of staff and students from the lands of skate in Afghanistan, Cambodia, and South Africa. Many of the staff members started as students, and have gone through Skateistan’s programs or have become Youth Leaders and are now Educators, who the new students look up to.

Around 1600 youths go to Skateistan each week, here are the stories of the Educators and Citizens of Skateistan. 

Edited by Demi Vitkute

The post Skateboarding for a Cause appeared first on The Urban Watch Magazine.

The majority of us humans have whimsical ideas and dreams. For the most part, our most extravagant thoughts will remain as just that— thoughts. Occasionally our thoughts evolve into adventures and successes. For some, the dreams take root and blossom into something truly unimaginable.

The wizard of one such dream is Miss Kate Unsworth. At the tender age of 28, Kate is the brain behind a brand, CEO and Founder of Kovert Designs. Kovert began in name before becoming so in nature. Despite being in its fledgling stages, Kate declared her fearless and unconventional style by changing her brand name, ever so coolly, and emerging stronger and grittier with Vinaya. 

If you read up on the former model and DJ turned geek and scholastic wiz kid, you could easily think of Kate as a privileged or unappealing character, but neither is remotely true.

Having grown up in Cheshire’s affluent Hale, Kate could have fallen into a stereotypical life or followed many a well-trodden path, but that isn’t in the bones of an Unsworth. In the 17 years that I have known Kate, not one of the roads she has taken has been remotely predictable. Kate is a baffling collision of minds and worlds. At 13, the effortless beauty was an avid audiophile, weirdly as happy tinkering with electronics as jamming to a little funk. Whilst the teenage angst and peer pressure was worming its way into the world around her, her head remained, very firmly, on her shoulders.

Having lived more than enough lives already, Kate gained a Degree in Mathematics and Statistics and Masters in Economics and Econometrics from Edinburgh University and went out into the world brimming with ideas and inventions that could harness and challenge her creative and analytical mind.

Going from student life to start-up to CEO must have been a truly intimidating and incapacitating prospect, but, from the chaotic concept stages to the official launch of Vinaya, the fledgling founder barely took a breath.

These days Kate’s world has taken a positively stratospheric turn. Not only has Vinaya evolved into research and design house, VINAYA, but it has become a hub for research and innovation.

Vinaya is ever evolving and exploring the intersection of neuroscience, philosophy, psychology, mindfulness and modern technology. While we, mere mortals, are wrapping our heads around a new fashion hybrid; “scientific and savvy,” Kate has assembled a crack team of likeminded and inventive nerds who are striving to research, develop and deliver ground breaking creative conceptions.

“We should all learn to switch off – but for many people, that’s an impossible dream.”

If you’re not familiar with the feeling of reaching for your smartphone or browsing the social networks simply out of habit, then you’re probably in the wrong place. For those that are, that incredible urge can be explained – in a rather frightening way – because it’s something we’ve become anatomically programmed to do.

In November 2015, Vinaya unleashed its first product, Altruis. In a world where functionality and fashion remain separate and where staunch traditionalists cling to their “offline” personas, Altruis has been designed to be as beautiful as it is smart. The Altruis Collection grew from the roots of its creator, every fragile detail is a reaction or expression of the founder’s journey. Fashion to function. The bespoke and cutting edge micro-electronics (developed in house by the Vinaya team) allow you to take a step away from your gadgets and gismos, cut out the noise and allow your life to happen.

Kate is refreshingly contradictory when it comes to the tech world. Despite being a self-confessed “offline die-hard” and exceptionally savvy champion of “digital detoxification,” Kate remains constantly conscious and literate when it comes to social, fashion and digital innovations. When asked how she planned to facilitate the intersection between the fashion and technology industries, Kate broke the complex issue down effortlessly— “I would describe us as a fashion brand, but a tech company.”

As a virtually illiterate human (no pun intended), my mind boggles at the complexities of Vinaya. The culture of constant interaction seems unnatural to me, and, to most, I’m an infuriating Luddite and lost cause, but for wiz kid Kate, I am a quirk worth indulging.

The CEO recently disabled the Twitter and Facebook apps on her mobile phone. The move was not a defiant F**k you to the technology world, but a first person experiment into using tech to disconnect. Back online and thrust into the tech world with a million ideas, Kate realized the fatal flaw in wearables, “the technology industry has no background in creating things that people want to wear. At Kovert, we build things that are aesthetically beautiful, focusing on design first and technology second.”

The desire to opt out of gadgetry is a talking point across all industries, some see it as a backlash to the “fear of missing out,” others as a belief in “joy of missing out.” Personally, I view it as a release from the bombardment of noise and clutter that is streamed into my life via a million different machines. Kate’s brain child promises “smart jewellery that gives its owners respite from the compulsive use of smartphones.”

The future of Vinaya and it extraordinary founder is undoubtedly unimaginable to my technophobe brain, but I will be fascinated and curious every step of the way.

Edited by Demi Vitkute

The post Kate Unsworth: Millenial CEO Who Isn’t Addicted to Her Phone appeared first on The Urban Watch Magazine.

Where

To a lot of prospective interns, the initial question “where do I apply?” can be the most daunting task. There are ultimately two ways to go about this. The first option is to apply to something that goes hand in hand with your major in university or college. If you’re a Marketing major, you’d want to apply to a marketing or social media marketing agency that will give you insight to what your field of work will be. The second option (which I did) is applying to an internship for something you enjoy as a hobby or something you’ve always wanted to try. Maybe you’re an Accounting major who loves fashion. You can apply to an internship at a fashion company or agency, or with a small-business designer who needs a helping hand. This kind of internship can simply just be a lot of fun, or could re-route what you want to do in the future!

 When

Usually, internships correspond with semesters, so the best time to apply for a fall internship would be September, for a spring internship: December, and so on. Many companies also do summer internships as well that can be extremely rewarding (sometimes paid!) and most schools count credit towards these.

How

While the application process can still be scary, it’s easier than you think. If you want to go the old-fashioned way, try taking a trip to multi-office spaces in the city such as WeWork or Workville and placing an ad in the lobby. Hundreds of start-up companies work in these buildings and probably the same amount of interns! Start-up companies love interns, and will be able to nurture you and teach you more in the long run.

There are also websites like Internships.com or even LinkedIn can place you with a big or small company by submitting your pre-uploaded resume with the click of a button.

Who

Being able to portray your sense of self before a brand or company even gets to interview you is the hardest but most exciting part of applying for internships. Any piece of information that exhibits creativity, leadership, kindness, or academic success are ones you want to include on your resume. Try to be courteous and professional on your cover letter, but not cold or robotic. Find a way to stand out so that they remember you—this is what drives them to want to meet you in person. Your personality—beyond your grades or accomplishments—is going to be the deciding factor on whether or not you become an intern, so let that shine through.

An internship can be one of the most useful tools you’ll ever encounter when it comes to preparing for your future. You can gain experience and exposure in the field you are currently studying, or just have some fun while helping out a small company. As well as experience, Internships are a great way to make friends. Whether you’re working with other students, or creating relationships with adults who can help you when you need a full-time job in the real world.

Taking up an internship has the ability to open new doors for students and undergrads, while also providing new perspectives, new ideas and, possibly, a new life direction. By following the tips above, and being your most authentic self, your dream internship can be yours, and pave the way for a fun and successful semester.

Edited by Brianna Arrighi

The post Landing Your Dream Internship: What You Need To Know appeared first on The Urban Watch Magazine.