08/20/2020
Really excited to be featured by our partners at Planet Granite Belmont as part of ! Looking forward to climbing again soon!
Global Climbing Day 2020 - Community Highlight
This week we are celebrating leaders pushing for change and engaging the climbing community in a series of real conversations about accessibility, inclusivity, and the future of climbing.
Here is Menlo-Atherton Ecology Research Outdoors - MERO Story:
"Ahzha (Director of MERO) started teaching English Language Learners at Menlo-Atherton High School during the 2016 presidential election which was obviously a really bad time to be an immigrant in this country. Despite the students and their families trying their best, the government, politicians, and society in general seemed to be working against them. We'd also recently moved here from southern Chile, where we were part of a really cool community rowing club that used rowing as a means of engaging vulnerable kids in a positive family-like community. When we started MERO, we tried to emulate the same community structure we saw at Club Prat, but instead of using rowing, we use outdoor recreation and environmental science as vehicles for engaging students and building community.
Founded in 2017, MERO provides outdoor experiences and long-term mentorship for teenage English Language Learners, focusing on community building, personal growth, and professional development. Last year, a group of MERO students sat in the shade of a gnarled oak tree in California’s Diablo Mountains, each taking turns sharing glimpses of their own crux. Not one crux, but many – cruces, a word burned into the psyches of kids who have crossed borders, navigated countless obstacles, and seen wooden crosses where there should only be stones. The twelve teenagers were a day into their first ever backpacking trip, tired from a long hike into camp, and feeling introspective after a mid-afternoon rest. One boy alluded to night terrors, brought on by his perilous journey north from Central America. Another chose not to speak, his glassy eyes saying more than any words could. Another thanked the group for being her friends and sharing this experience with her. Time in the backcountry, away from phones and social media, has a way of healing scars and inspiring new growth.
Climbing, whether on the wall or on the trail, offers MERO students a way to be defined not by their crux, but rather by how they overcome it. Perhaps more than any other outdoor activity, climbing is a perfect metaphor for overcoming life’s challenges. The route may be tough, there may be surprises, and you might stumble. But if you believe in yourself, have a strong community to catch you when you fall, and you keep persevering, you can eventually reach your goal.
We’ve seen first-hand how outdoor activities can help students build the confidence needed to overcome the many barriers they face. The first time we took a group of MERO students rock climbing at Planet Granite, they were nervous about climbing too high off the ground. One-by-one though, and with plenty of encouragement from their friends, every student made it to the top of at least one route and came down beaming. One student remarked afterwards “I didn’t realize I was that strong”. This spring, we’re excited to cheer for her as she takes on one more crux – crossing the stage to accept her high school diploma."
