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Climbing Mentorship Offer - BIPOC, underrepresented communities
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Im dominican and new to climbing, been climbing a month and a half indoor and really want to start going outdoor. I own alot of my own gear and am currently being mentored from a distance by someone i met on here but it would be nice to meet other climbers and learn as much as i can. I didnt know they had climbing programs for people of color, just sucks i live in the north east..oh well, if not its cool..but if you are interested, let me know and ill write you a little more about myself.. |
michael samiwrote: Michael, I'm going to let Derek take the lead since he started this thread. I'm in Colorado, so I can't realistically do any in-person mentoring (unless you're planning on visiting Colorado). But I'm happy to help in ways I can. |
aikibujinwrote: no worries at all..i just saw the post and climbing has honestly taken over my life in the most positive way so ill take any help or opportunity to learn where ever i can..if it would be okay with you, ill add you on here and if i ever have any questions i could always email you or something..its how im doing it with my current mentor which i actually met via MP, lol..but i always love learning more and different ways of doing things..so just let me know.. |
michael samiwrote: Feel free to email me (when you click on my profile, there should be a button to contact me). Once Derek and Amy join, maybe we can figure out something that's more interactive than email. |
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For the same reasons you would mentor a non-affluent person? or anyone else? |
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Hi all, thanks to all who have continued this conversation constructively. I have heard from a few people stoked to do some learning, and even more folks eager to help with mentoring, which is super cool. At the suggestion of my new friend, I think the best way to go about this in an inclusive, semi-organized manner would be to set up a Slack workspace for all those interested. I'm imagining an informal, inclusive, beginner-friendly, and probably not that large community with the goal of facilitating both digital and hopefully in-person knowledge sharing. Slack should enable things to remain decentralized and flexible as to whatever the group's needs end up being. All are welcome, as long as you're BIPOC-friendly, willing to contribute positively, and aren't a troll. This is a little different from my original focus on one-on-one mentorship, but I imagine those kinds of relationships/days out can spin off of the Slack community as folks desire. So far most, but not all who have expressed interest are located in the Northeast, but I don't think there's any reason to limit this by geography. If you haven't already emailed me and would like to take part, just let me know and I'll make it happen. < derek.ehrns [at] gmail.com > If you are unclear on what Slack is and would like an intro, I can also help with that. I'll try to set this up in the next few days. If anyone else has additional ideas or feedback, I continue to be open to that! |
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Derek, Amy, Aikibujen, I commend you for offering mentorship. My wife and I didn’t have any. We hired guides and learned from books. My sense is mentors are about as rare as Colorado Orange Apples. Good on you. |
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Poor guy is just trying to offer his time and help out. Oh internet. |
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Hi Derick and Amy, i would love to take you up on your offer, as an African American who loves the outdoors, I run across few who share my ethnicity and similar cultural background when im out and about in my local climbing gym and hiking throughout New England. Im an mid 30s millennial who is an amature grm climber, looking to venture outdoors. I live in Mass but can travel wherever, to train. Thank you for your offer to lend a welcoming hand up! For awhile I was wondering if the climbing community was “ for me”. ’ |
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Why cant people just climb and teach anyone who's interested. Not teaching someone because they're straight white is the same as not teaching someone because they're not straight white. Just climb. Just teach. |
CVRIVwrote: Most climbers are white. Most white people hang out mostly with other white people. This dynamic makes it more likely that a white climber will take another white person under their wing to mentor. We run in the same social circles, have stuff in common, just casually feel generally comfortable around each other. Which is nice for us and all, but makes it harder for a climber of color to find a mentor. If we want to change this dynamic, it helps to be intentional about it. White people complaining that people of color might get access to resources that we want to keep for ourselves is not a good look. |
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L Kap wrote: - Why? I don't understand why a person with color would have a hard time finding a climbing mentor because a majority of mentors are said to be white. I'd like to think that if someone such as that really wanted a mentor, they'd find a mentor regardless of color. Passion should outweigh the insignificance of skin color. I can't believe that skin color is even still an issue. It's skin color. Who cares! If I needed or wanted to do something where I was the only white dude... Bring it on. Lol. That would empower me. I cant wait to go to a spanish club with my girlfriend. I'll probably be the only white dude and I'll love it. People need to just learn to love it. More will follow. L Kap wrote: Being intentional about it is super weird to me. Very weird. Intentionally looking for people with color who climb and want and want to learn to climb better. Anyone? Any black climbers? Spanish climbers? I'm willing to teach black climbers! I just want to put that there so everyone knows I want to teach black climbers. Yea, its super weird. If someone who's not white want to be taught, teach them. That's all. If they don't come around, they dont come around. L Kap wrote: Who's doing that? White people want to keep resources to themselves? I know there will be always some who are like that, but id like to think that's it's gotten pretty good since way back in the days. I just think that if people, who are not white and straight, really wanted to do something and straight and white was the only option, they'd take the opportunity. The same goes the other way around too. Shit, id get in with some different people. Thats what makes everything so interesting. |
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You should really do some reading and talk to people with different experiences than yours to educate yourself - there's honestly too much to explain here if you don't intuitively get why a person of color wouldn't feel as comfortable penetrating a predominantly white space as you in a non-white space. It's the same reason that leadership jobs stay mostly white and male, the same reason that representation in pop culture and media is so important. There's plenty of studies and research done into the effectiveness of mentorship and teaching (and medicine even) when it comes from someone the mentee can better relate to. Being color-blind and waiting for people to "come around" doesn't work. |
L Kapwrote: Did someone in this thread complain about that? What do you base this statement on? |
FrankPSwrote: Every white person who complains that it's discrimination or unfair to white people for a mentor to prefer a mentee of color. See also: just be colorblind. See also: just teach anybody. See also: it's your passion that matters, not your skin color. This is the same flawed thinking that animates the backlash against affirmative action and programs designed to increase diversity anywhere in America. It's white resentment that for once in our lives we might not be first in line. |
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I can relate, as a male trying to participate in the yoga scene. |
L Kapwrote: It isn't that complicated. But you are welcome to alienate the offers of help and everything can stay exactly how it is(?). Fwiw, if white males are not first in line then what is this thread even about?? You're full of shit, and more importantly - come off as extremely bitter. |
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I'm going to lock this thread, as there are way better sources out there for education on these issues. We have a cool slack group going with several mentors and mentees; if you are interested in joining and participating in a constructive way, feel free to message me. If you disagree with this entire premise, then it's probably not for you. |
