STORIES OF IMPACT | Chinnell D.
CatRock Prepares Tomorrow’s Leaders Among Youth in Communities of Color
Date: TBD - 90420 Final
CatRock volunteer Chinnell D. is committed to ensuring that New York City’s underserved youth in communities of color can become tomorrow’s leaders and environmental advocates.
“Volunteering with CatRock means putting your energy toward opportunities for the future. Many of our students become outdoor advocates in their own communities,” says Chinnell. “Their passion and desire to improve their communities are a huge part of what happens at CatRock.”
CatRock’s outdoor activities enable the students – most of whom identify as Black and Hispanic – to gain the confidence, outdoor expertise, and leadership skills necessary for making a difference. Equally important, CatRock’s efforts address the under representation of ethnic minorities in the outdoors in the U.S. In fact, research shows that African-Americans, who comprise 13 percent of the U.S. population, make up about one percent of visitors to national forests. Hispanics, at 17 percent of the U.S. population, represent less than six percent of national forest visits. In comparison, non-Hispanic whites, 63 percent of the population, account for 90 percent of visits to national forests.
CatRock both inspires and challenges the students within an environment that is warm, welcoming, and full of trust. Chinnell cites the Urban Backpacking trip as a way the students gain practical leadership experience. The students plan this three-day trip across New York’s City five boroughs that features community service projects and an overnight camp out. The teens plan and shop for all their meals, design and implement the itinerary, manage their camping equipment, and take care of their refuse.
The annual ski trip to Vermont’s Jay Peak epitomizes the way CatRock empowers the students and how they rise to the occasion. The trip is a culmination of the CatRock Youth Leadership Academy, an opportunity for the students to reflect on and practice the outdoor and leadership skills they have acquired. The teens live in bunks, cook for themselves, and engage in semi-independent living. Challenges include new activities like skiing and snowboarding and a final rigorous hike up Jay Peak.
“There were lots of opportunities to come together, get to know each other better, and make it feel like family,”
“Summiting Jay Peak on snowshoes was challenging,” recalls Chinnell. “Most had never done it before. It was arduous, several wanted to quit, but we all made it to the top. That determination through adversity was character-building.”
The Covid-19 pandemic tested CatRock’s mission. All in-person CatRock activities were cancelled, including the Jay Peak trip. In response, the nonprofit’s leaders, volunteers, and alumni developed the CatRock Virtual Leadership Program. In essence, the team took the elements of the one-week Jay Peak trip to create the two-month online program to support the students through this uncertain time.
“There were lots of opportunities to come together, get to know each other better, and make it feel like family,” reports Chinnell.
There were online workshops dedicated to cooking, exercise, health, and yoga. Every Wednesday, the group video call gave the students an opportunity to discuss how they were managing the quarantine and online learning. One week, the students shared their thoughts and feelings about racial justice and the events surrounding the George Floyd killing.
“It was powerful and emotional,” recalls Chinnell. “The students needed to share and the adults needed to hear it. The students truly taught us. They are filled with such knowledge, experience, and values.”
Covid may have upended the spring schedule, but the CatRock community united and displayed its resilience and strength. It may not have been the real Jay Peak, but the CatRock community completed a major hurdle together.