Skateboarding is all about family, support, and networking. You never know who you’re going to meet and what kind of connections you’ll make. Keen Ramps has been fortunate enough to develop a great relationship with a youth mentoring program called Next Up.Next Up mentors underserved youth in Anaheim through skateboarding by teaching problem-solving skills, developing youth leadership, and encouraging social mobility. Their vision is for kids to apply the lessons learned in skateboarding to withstand negative forces in their communities and live positive, productive lives.Founder of Keen Ramps, Cory Keen was invited by Next Up to be a guest speaker for the kids and also lead them in a hands on workshop to build skateboard racks for their success lab. One of the major points that Cory stressed to the kids was that school is more important than you think. He explained how despite ”not using” or having a job in the field of his college degrees: Urban Studies and Planning, higher education taught him a lot about how to be a self-starter, proper business etiquette, and overall professionalism. Cory also touched on the importance of doing whatever makes you happy as a individual and not falling into the trap of conforming to societal norms.After the presentation, it was time to break out the power tools. Keen Ramps surprised the kids of Next Up with a brand new quarter pipe and in a matter of no time the kids assembled their new ramp. Cory even stayed and sessioned the new quarter pipe with them.Thanks for having us Next Up!
