The Next Up Foundation workshop squad. Photo: Chloe McDonald.

WORDS & PHOTOS Marcus Bandy & the Next Up crew

The Next Up Foundation is a skateboarding youth mentoring organization in Anaheim, California and operated by its founder and skateboarder Vinicius Tinoco. After reaching out to “Vina”—as his friends call him—a few weeks back to discuss ways Wheelbase and myself might show support for his awesome youth organization, he offered me the opportunity to host a photography and journalism workshop with his students at their headquarters. I of course said yes!, and this past Saturday I spent the day skating, sharing my life’s experiences, and hopefully imparting some skills and techniques from the craft of storytelling that I have learned over the years as a pro skater, a magazine editor, and a publisher. We started the day with an intro to storytelling, we skated for a bit and got to know each other, we then discussed journalism specifically, next the basics of skate photograph, after that we headed back out to the park and every student had a chance to get in front of and behind the lens of the camera, and lastly we sat down and the students interviewed each other and Next Up’s founder Vina. What a rad day!

Many do not know this, but I spent my freshman year living and skating in Anaheim, California until family drug abuse and violence forced me out of school, out of my home, away from all of my friends, and quick-fast-in-a-hurry into a children’s home. Luckily, I was able to get out of the situation and into a “more healthy one” in the long term, but many kids in such circumstances are not as fortunate. That being said, the experience taught me a lot about myself and it also gave me a desire to help fellow skateboarders and youth going up around heavy issues at an early age like I had dealt with. The Next Up Foundation and it’s skatepark are skating distance from my old High School and old house, so it meant a great deal to me to come back—and give back—something I hope is positive and uplifting to the Anaheim community via my skills and experiences.

I started skateboarding in Brazil at age twelve and was mentored by a friend who worked with youth in Brazilian juvenal halls. I ended up working as a volunteer in 3 different juvinial halls myself. In my early twenties I then moved to Los Angeles to live my California skateboarding dream and in 2009 I started Next Up. Skateboarding is perfect for working with at-risk youth because as skaters we fall every day and getting back up again is normal for us. At the Next Up Foundation we help teach underserved youth to get back up again with confidence, skills, and via healthy relationships and through education and the arts. The goal of the Next Up Foundation is to teach life lessons through skateboarding in cities with underserved and at-risk youth in order to enhance their lives. The mission of the Next Up Foundation is to break the cycle of illiteracy, drug use, and gang violence in Anaheim youth. Skateboarding is the common ground that allows us all to speak the same language, despite our differing backgrounds or challenges. Today, Next Up is thriving and we are looking forward to publishing our own magazine soon, further growing our roots here in the city of Anaheim, and building a private and permanent indoor park here so that we can further serve even more local at-risk youth. - Vinicius Tinoco (founder of nextupfoundation.org)

Interview of Gabriel Torres by Jose Caldera:

Q. Why do you come to Next Up?
A. To have a successful life.
Q. How long have you been skating?
A. 6 months.
Q. Who introduced you to Next Up?
A. You, Jose Caldera.
Q. How old are you?
A. 12 years old.
Q. Who’s your favorite skater?
A. Chris Joslin.
Q. What do you want to be when you grow up?
A. A pro skater, but if that doesn’t work out I want to be a bank manager.

Interview of Seth Navejas by Jordan Sandoval:

Q. Why do you come to Next Up?
A. It motivates me to become a better skater.
Q. How long have you been coming?
A. 4 months.
Q. Who introduced you to Next Up?
A. My mother.
Q. How old are you?
A. 13 years young.
Q. Who is your favorite skater?
A. Shane O’Neil.
Q. What do you want to do when you grow up?
A. Computer programmer.

‘Tino. Photo: Chloe McDonald.

Interview of Chuy Alcaraz by Marcus Bandy:

Q. Why do you come to Next Up?
A. My cousin Fernando introduced me.
Q. How long have you been skating?
A. 3 weeks.
Q. How old are you?
A. 10 years old.
Q. Why did you start skating?
A. Tricks.
Q. What do you want to want to be when you grow up?
A. Pro soccer player and skater.

My goal for this past Saturday was to simply connect (let’s go skate!), listen, and also bring some sort of value to the Next Up Foundation family via storytelling, journalism, and photography specifically. My focus was on imparting how important it is to tell and read a story, how that we are all being inundated with so many stories each day, and that understanding the mechanisms and constructs of various storytelling devises can better equip us as skaters and humans in general to decipher and separate quality from white noise as well as intent from content. It’s important—doubly so for anyone looking to escape the cycles of violence, illiteracy, poverty, and drugs. Anyway, I’m about that rise up life and I’m about all that the Next Up Foundation is doing in the community of Anaheim. Respect and thank you for having me, Vina and crew. BTW, when is that Berrics fieldtrip happening? I call window seat! Ha ha!

TILL NEXT TIME . . .