CATCHING UP
Reaching New Heights with Young Women Who Crush
New York City high school girls are transformed into powerful and strong rock climbers and community leaders as they scale cliffs the size of city buildings, experience the outdoors in meaningful ways, find community, and develop confidence and independence.
Just three years ago, Alexis Krauss, an avid rock climber, outdoor guide, musician, and educator who loves working with youth, had a vision for bringing diversity and mentorship to the rock climbing world.
At first, Alexis became involved in making the outdoors more accessible to women. Alexis and Eva Kalea, then the creative director of The Cliffs at LIC, an indoor climbing gym, held a women’s mentoring and climbing night that brought together experienced climbers and women seeking knowledge about the sport.
“Our women’s event went so well, we decided to do it again,” recalls Alexis. “But then we thought, if rock climbing was so powerful for adult women, it would be an incredible opportunity for New York City high school girls, especially those who don’t have access to the outdoors and to rock climbing.”
Alexis and Eva teamed up with long time climbing coach Emily Varisco and approached a couple of New York City public school teachers about introducing rock climbing to the high school girls. Don Overly, an environmental science teacher at Central Park High School in Harlem, loved the concept. Alexis, Eva, and Emily went to the school and pitched about 15 girls on the idea. While most of the young women had never even heard of rock climbing, they were excited to learn. Together, the three women sponsored an evening of rock climbing for the high school students at The Cliffs. The event was so successful that they decided to keep going. And so, Young Women Who Crush (YWWC) was born.
Today, YWWC is a nine-month long climbing and leadership development program for New York City high school girls and gender expansive teens. The YWWC mentees and volunteer mentors train monthly from September through May at The Cliffs. Emily Varisco, head coach at The Cliffs, developed the YWWC curriculum that starts with basic skills and then explores a whole range of climbing techniques. The program also incorporates wilderness first aid, environmental stewardship, Leave No Trace classes, and more. Come June, the mentees and mentors take their skills outdoors and head upstate to climb and camp out in the Shawangunk Mountains in New York State’s Hudson Valley, home to some of the best rock climbing in the world.
YWWC’s climbing and leadership program has an extraordinary and multi-faceted impact on the mentees’ lives. “One of the most exciting things to witness is a young girl realizing her own physical strength and power, especially when culturally she has been subjected to ideas about female strength and ideas that women are not capable of the same feats as men,” explains Alexis.
But the impact goes beyond the physical. “Climbing is powerful in so many ways and not just physically,” continues Alexis. “It helps all people develop confidence and overcome fear. It’s a very emotional experience. With climbing, you really have to have trust, communication, and team building.”
Climbing also enables the mentees to build a deep bond with nature that most would never have experienced without YWWC according to Alexis. “A lot of our girls are from the Bronx, Queens, and Upper Manhattan. Their lives are immersed in New York City and finding green space can be difficult. So, for a lot of our kids, rock climbing upstate is the first time they are out in nature.”
Leadership development is a key aspect of the YWWC program. “Community building is at the core of who we are, creating inclusivity, diversity, and spaces where people can be themselves and thrive. With that, leadership emerges. Our mentees take ownership of our programs, organizing fundraisers and being involved with brands that support us like Patagonia and Clif Bar. Our girls also act as advocates and speak on panels within the climbing community.”
Watching the mentees become mentors is the most inspiring part of the YWWC program for Alexis. “I really love seeing the mentees become the mentors. I love seeing kids come in one year with no skills, no experience, no confidence when it comes to climbing, and then emerge as the leader, as a mentor, the one that’s standing on the ground, and giving insights. When they take ownership of the program and become each other’s teachers – that’s the most exciting thing to me.”
It is especially gratifying to witness young women who had no previous experience with sports and outdoor recreation make this powerful transition to experienced, accomplished, and confident climbers and outdoor leaders. Marjana, now a junior at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, began with YWWC in 2017. Originally from Bangladesh, this young Muslim woman attended Central Park High School and had never heard of rock climbing. She joined YWWC and thrived. Today, Marjana is an advanced and committed lead climber. Marjana also plays an influential leadership role in the outdoors club at Lafayette College where she is involved with diversifying the climbing community and making it more accessible to women of color and Muslims.
Recently, YWWC came under the CatRock Ventures umbrella. Working with Craig Meisner, CatRock’s executive director and co-founder, Alexis has brought new outdoor opportunities to her YWWC mentees like snowboarding and surfing. And more adventures are on tap. “It’s a very natural partnership. We are both connected to the outdoors. We both see the outdoors as the vehicle for transformation in young peoples’ lives. I am so excited to get our girls biking, backpacking, and engaging more with public service and outdoor leadership skills.”
As YWWC changes and grows, it will remain a community that supports and uplifts its members. When asked what mentees would say is the best thing about YWWC, Alexis replies, “Our mentees would probably say the best aspects about our program are connection, the opportunity to be vulnerable, and the opportunity to be uplifted. It would have less to do with adrenaline or excitement and more to do with the people they’ve met and the community they have in their lives.”