Graduation

The fourth session of CTC came to a close amidst laughter and tears on May 10, 2010. In front of an audience of friends, family, and community members, each girl bravely stood and shared a story of her experience in the program. The Leaders girls staged a short performance on their beliefs around creating a healthy and mutually respectful new girl culture. In the open climb, girls shared their new skills, belaying family and friends who got the opportunity to experience climbing for themselves.

Climbing Toward Confidence wishes all participants a great summer full of outdoor fun. We look forward to seeing many girls return next year for the CTC Leaders Program!

CTC Session 4 Outdoor Climbing at Rumbling Bald

On May 1, the girls and mentors from Climbing Toward's Confidence's fourth session reached new heights as they took part in the program's regular outdoor climbing day, held this spring at Rumbling Bald. After spending nine weeks learning to climb in the indoor gym, everyone put forth their best effort on the mountain. Cries of joy could be heard throughout the day as girls reached the top of the slab wall, calling out to their belayers about the beautiful sight of Lake Lure in the distance. The girls all displayed great maturity and confidence as they belayed their mentors and encouraged them to reach the top.

Appalachian Mountain Institute generously donated professional guiding services for the event.

CTC Session 4 Participants Take on Ropes Course, March 13, 2010

On March 13th, the CTC girls and their mentors donned rain jackets and warm clothes to explore the ropes course at the Asheville School. Despite inclement weather, the girls displayed excellent teamwork skills as they navigated obstacle courses and other challenges designed to build group cohesiveness and trust. Hail and heavy rain forced activities to move indoors, but all participants still enjoyed the adventure. Ed Maggart of the Asheville School, who graciously donated his time to facilitate the activities, complemented the girls on their great attitudes and tenacity. The girls will have a chance to get to the top of the high ropes course during the make-up day scheduled for early May.

“What I Want all Girls to Know”: Messages from CTC Leaders

Treat each other fairly and honestly. Be supportive and proud of each other. Let’s treat all girls like family.

Wear what you want. Be comfortable. Do what feels right. Express your own style.

Be comfortable with who you are. It doesn’t matter what you look like. All bodies are beautiful.

Everything that looks good is not really good.

Try new things. Explore, be adventurous. Don’t be afraid to try something new!

You’re always beautiful. Be positive. It’s what is on the inside that counts. Power to the girls!

Girls can do anything. There are girls and women doing everything!

Be what you want to be. Research it. Reach far.

The most important things are: being yourself... taking care of yourself and your health... being considerate of others... acting in a respectful way... treating each other well... being good to friends and family... listening to yourself... grades... education & future...

First CTC Leaders Program begins in March 2010

In response to ongoing interest from alumni of the previous 3 CTC sessions, the CTC Leaders Program kicked off in March 2010. Participants in this weekly program continue to develop their climbing skills while exploring self-identified topics of interest such as coping with bullying, talking about feelings and dealing with puberty. Throughout the program, the girls are endeavoring to create a “new girl culture” that operates with fairness, honesty, and inclusivity. Each week, prominent women from the Asheville community visit for dinner to talk about their teen years and how they got to be who they are now. The CTC Leaders program culminates in an overnight climbing trip that will allow the girls to experience hiking, camping, and multi-pitch climbing.

My Life As a Rock Climb...

At the end of each session of CTC, as part of their reflections on their experiences in the program, each girl creates a tale using rock climbing as a metaphor for perseverance through struggles in their lives. Here are some of the stories read at graduation from the third session of CTC:

"My life is a rock climb. As I climb this everlasting rock, I notice I am not perfect, I can only be me. I fall sometimes as I make it through the rough parts reassessing. I can do it! I am me. As I climb and learn, I grow in many ways, stronger and smarter. Sometimes when I can’t find any foot or hand holds I take a deep breath and think of a different way up. I adapt. Occasionally, I rappel into the depths of the earth. I lean back and breathe, knowing how far I’ve come. Some days I say this is enough, I come down the monstrous mountain I was about to climb knowing I am only me!"

"As I start up the wall, these are my first steps. I start to get cocky so I fall but my dad down below is belaying me and my mom, the backup belayer, is there for me also. I have my cheerleaders there too-my brother and my uncle. When I get to a tricky spot it’s like a time in your life when it feels like you can’t do it. As I hear my belayer start to talk I feel like they aren’t paying attention like when you feel like the people in your life are supposed to support you and they are not. As I reach the top, it feels like I can take on the world. And that is my life as a rock climb."

"My life is like a rock climb because I go through a lot of stuff and when I fall my mom’s always there to catch me like an ATC. And my sisters are my back up belayers. I go higher and higher because first I started off as a baby child, teenager, and now a mother, and soon an adult and when I climb I reach for other rocks to pull myself up on to reach different heights. I also learn from my mistakes like when I go rock climbing I look to stick my foot in and if there’s not a hold around, next time when I rock climb I know that there’s not a rock there."

CTC's 3rd Session Conquers Looking Glass Rock

On

November 7th, 2009 the CTC girls and their mentors spent the day climbing at Looking Glass Rock. Appalachian Mountain Institute generously donated the gear and recruited professional guides who volunteered to teach new skills and ensured that everyone had a safe and fun experience.

On a gorgeous fall day, the girls and mentors both faced new challenges: climbing outdoors on real rock for the first time, going higher than they had ever been, and rapelling down a part of the mountain.