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"CAUSE: Sure, standard schooling does a good job of teaching youth important\u2014and necessary\u2014skills. But there's a growing movement in the educational world that touts non-traditional ways to get at the essential skills teens need to be successful in the future. Non-profit organization Stoked uses action sports (skateboarding, snowboarding and surfing) to help youth of lower socio-economic backgrounds get up to par in areas of critical thinking, creativity, communication, and curiosity. In 2010, 24-year-old Sophia Lerdahl joined the Stoked team to work with their hands-on after-school program for high school students, 'Stoked for Success'. Her super-cool job? She designs and manages all their after-school and weekend Action Sports programs in NYC.\n\nEFFECT: The Stoked mission is simple: to promote personal development, academic achievement, and healthy living to under-served youth through action sports culture. Since it was founded in 2005, Stoked has worked with hundreds of students nationwide to get them excited about school, their communities, and their futures.\n\nGET INVOLVED: You can bring Stoked to your high school or sign up to teach surfing, snowboarding or skateboarding. Learn more at stoked.org.\n\nIN HER WORDS: \"I got involved with Stoked just a few months out of college. I was holding out for a job where I could picture myself actually enjoying the work, and after a few frustrating months of hunting, I found Stoked! I was hired as a part time after-school coordinator, then worked my way up to Senior Program Manager. That's where I am now.\"\n\n\"Our afterschool programs aren't run-of-the-mill. We teach freshmen the process of building a skateboard, and then in sophomore year, those same students are immersed in the branding and marketing worlds by creating and launching skateboard brands. Years three and four will teach them hard career skills, complete with professional mentors and summer experiences that put all these skills to the test in real-life scenarios\"\n\n\"Seeing a kid transform because of our program is the most rewarding part of this job. We do a lot of activities that put our youth in very unfamiliar situations and force them outside their comfort zones, so we're requiring they grow wings on the spot. A lot of our kids don't know how to swim, but our summer program is surfing. So the same kid will go from being terrified of the water to surfing\u2014all in one summer. Another will be nervous to leave his home for a full day and next thing you know, he's shredding down a mountain on a snowboard. The confidence and self-validation that you gain by overcoming those major obstacles and exceeding your and everyone else's expectations is incredible to be a part of.\""^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.teenvogue.com/story/sophia-lerdahl-stoked-charity>