WHEELS OF HOPE
Wheels of Hope - Editorial Intro
This month's YOUTH magazine is a creative takeover by French independent photojournalist, and lifelong skateboarder, Thomas Girondel. He travelled to Hanover in the months immediately after the Russian invasion to document the genesis of a small and dedicated skateboarding school set up by his pro-skateboarder friend Yurii Korotun. Here, Yurii has been teaching skateboarding to Ukrainian children and teenagers who are living in limbo in the city, having been forced to flee their native country with their families.
Thomas spent time observing, listening and photographing the skaters and the resulting body of work is WHEELS OF HOPE. This is a genuinely beautiful piece of photojournalism that we are delighted to present on behalf of Thomas. We hope you enjoy what we found to be a moving and hopeful work, borne out of an exceptionally bleak situation.
Wheels Of Hope
Words by Thomas Girondel.
I met professional skateboarder Yurii Korotun near the Maïdan Square in Kiyv, Ukraine while doing a reportage in 2018. A skateboarder myself since my childhood, we have exchanged stories and experiences about our common passion and kept in touch via social networks.