Girl’s Skateboarding and Empowerment

Lilja Dwyer is a skateboarder, surfer, ex-cheerleader, and founder of Ladies Shred. She grew up in Marin County, California, with her younger brother, raised by their single mother. Discovering surfing and skateboarding in her late teens, Lilja fell in love with the culture and sports.

For 13 years, Lilja traveled extensively, immersing herself in different cultures. Throughout her journeys, skateboarding remained a constant connection to the places she visited. For the past five years, Lilja has been running Ladies Shred, an organization that offers camps, classes, and community meet-ups.

Ladies Shred focuses on building self-awareness, leadership skills, and fostering a sense of community among participants. The organization emphasizes safety, ocean and land education, and building self-confidence. Through Ladies Shred, Lilja aims to create an empowering environment for women and girls to learn and enjoy skateboarding and surfing. This talk will be about how Ladies Shred wants to reach a more diverse range of girls and women, and how we plan on doing so.