>> The following is a presentation of KBTC Profiles.

>> "Alchemy" is a medieval term, this idea of using common things in a new and interesting way.

We saw skateboarders as urban alchemists, using these unused, desolate, urban wasteland spaces and turning them into skate parks.

[ Music ] Alchemy Skateboarding is a 501c3 youth organization that runs a skateboard shop and an indoor skate park here in Tacoma, Washington.

We typically serve based on ability, not on age.

We firmly believe that anybody that wants to skate can skateboard.

I've worked with two-year-olds through 56-year-olds.

The community here is constantly changing.

Year to year, we see pretty large shifts in user groups from age, gender, interests, ethnicity.

But traditionally, we see young people that just want to explore and have fun.

Alchemy started as a concept back in 2011.

A local group of volunteers and advocates worked to decriminalize skateboarding in downtown Tacoma.

It had been made illegal from 1992 until 2011.

We threw a skate event called Go Skate Tacoma to celebrate the decriminalization.

And at that event, we circulated a survey to collect some information about our local skate community and that survey brought back some numbers that showed over half of the skaters were high school dropouts.

Seeing those numbers on paper were sort of a catalyst to build a organization that would support the skate community and help connect young people with better futures.

>> When Alchemy came on, they were really the first true programming entity.

And then that was just really critical because not only were they providing a space for skateboarding, but they were creating skateboard advocates.

And then it was a pathway to understand the public process, how to engage in the democratic process, and how to really build agency, you know, even as a young person, and how to affect change.

>> Our skate park is open six days a week.

We do programming seven days a week.

We have a couple different ways people can come in.

SALT is our Skateboarding and Leadership Team.

We're doing a lot of skateboarding, but really, what we're trying to do is foster that sense of leadership, civic engagement, advocacy in our high school-aged youth here in Tacoma.

The program offers a pretty good range of activities, from field trips out to local businesses, guest speakers in different careers and industries that get to speak on their experience.

A lot of times, we talk about managing a household or finding your first apartment.

Sometimes we talk about financial aid and applying to colleges or how to just sort of navigate life when you're leaving high school and sort of looking at a pretty big open array of options.

>> It gets you ready for, like, either college or, like, just -- I guess, like, the real world and, like, jobs and that more professional aspect and, like, life skills and things like that.

>> We also have a lot of hands-on tools.

Kids are able to actually produce a functional skateboard and do custom graphics and design.

A lot of what we hope to do outside of putting tools in hands is sending young people home with something they made.

The METALS program stands for Mentoring, Educating, Transforming, and Leading through Skateboarding.

And that's a program we offer in partnership with the Pierce County Juvenile Court.

A lot of the young people that we serve don't always have access to the same childhood experiences.

And being connected with the court is a difficult pathway for a lot of young people.

>> They really learn life skills while skating, which is a great opportunity because a lot of kids come in here and they've never skated before.

It really breaks down that barrier of parents being at work, kids not driving yet, and just being there for the court system to be able to make these programs happen.

>> Biggest thing that I learned from the program, I was able to communicate better and I was able to figure out ways to be able to cope with myself and also with other people.

And I learned that through skating and being able to use my hands to build stuff.

>> It's fostering that connection with something that they built and then also gives them a transportation tool, a therapy tool, a physical outlet, and a way to go out and interact in the community that otherwise they might lack.

And we sort of use skateboarding at the end, retrospectively, as sort of a metaphor for challenges we might be facing and kind of how to work through complex problems.

We really look to young people, not just as participants, but as leaders and supporters that kind of help each other and help influence how we run our organization.

>> What I like about Alchemy Skate Park is how the people who run it treat us like we're family.

I'm able to talk to them when I need to and I feel safe when I come to Alchemy.

>> I feel like throughout all of it and, like, just being with Alchemy, in general, is, like, to never give up and keep pushing because then that's how you grow.

And also to step out of your comfort zone every now and then because that also helps a lot.

>> While deep-end programs are really important and youth development is important, I think also just being a physical space for young people specifically to just connect.

Because in this day and age, there's just never going to be enough spaces for people to get outside and do things.

[ Music ] >> Funding for this edition of KBTC Profiles provided by the KBTC Association.

>> KBTC Profiles are available at KBTC.org.