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In 2006, Jackson Mubiru and Shael Swart built Uganda’s first skateboarding ramp. Within the same year, Brian Lye and the handful of skaters in the area came together to build Uganda’s first full skate park. Since then, the skate culture there has continued to grow, and it’s leaving a noticeable, beneficial impact on the Ugandan youth and their community.

It’s refreshing to see people in Uganda talk about skateboarding as such a positive influence — what a pleasant interpretation of the sport compared to the ugly connotations it tends to bring up here in the United States. Instead of seeing it as a gateway to trouble, the Ugandans look at skateboarding as an alternative to trouble. Go figure, maybe it really isn’t all about breaking stuff and acting like an obnoxious jackass out in front of the mall.

Their unique perspective on the sport is really inspiring. Here, we complain when there’s a crack in front of the ledge, and these kids are using second-hand equipment in a skate park that looks more like it was made out of cobblestone than the perfectly smooth concrete you’d find in most US parks. Everybody’s got a smile on their face, and they’re learning because it’s fun, not because they’re looking for a Red Bull sponsorship.

While admiring how appreciative of skateboarding the Ugandan kids are, it doesn’t take long to reflect back on how appreciative we should be as well. Indeed, most American skateboarders live pretty charmed lives compared to the people featured in this short documentary. Nonetheless, the film shows some of the benefits everyone can reap from skating; one such example is sharing something fundamental between vastly different countries and cultures. Unfortunately, people often use sports as an excuse to hate each other over petty differences, but in skateboarding there really aren’t any “teams” — just other skaters, the whole world over, ready to join in on the session.