At the Johannesburg skate school Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings are dedicated to girls-only skating sessions. “We’re all about making sure girls learn that there’s power in being a girl,” Mthethwa says. “The girls feel empowered by mastering the board.”Raeesa isn’t the only one who’s hooked on these sessions. Skateistan’s Programs Officer, Kelly Murray, tells me that the girls-only groups are proving to be a real hit, with increasing numbers of young women signing up every week.“There are few spaces for young girls to just be girls and be ok with it,” Mthethwa adds, “without having to worry about their make-up and their hair and their looks. Without the fear of rejection from boys, or being seen as inferior.”Skateistan provide homework help and support with career and education planning – meaning that, as well as getting on a board for the first time, the girls are being taught that they’re more than just child-bearers, that they can be lawyers, pilots and doctors too. “Everything I do here will help me in the future,” Raeesa says, before explaining that she wants to be a pilot. Anmari, meanwhile, has plans to be a doctor.This is how Skateistan is trying to change things – by challenging accepted gender inequality and endeavouring to make their school as female-friendly as possible, as well as by facilitating the promotion of women into positions of leadership.But alongside the educational outreach work, it is the hook of skateboarding that reels every girl in, and inspires them to stay. According to Raeesa, skating gives her a rush. “My heart goes like 'ku kum, ku kum'” she says excitedly, describing the feeling she gets on her board.*All student names have been changed for child protection purposes