1/20- Teen Connect Climbing in Fort Collins

TIME: 11:30 AM TO 2:00 PM

Kids at Heart is proud to partner with the Young Ascenders for our Teen Connect.

The facilitator from the Young Ascenders will guide the group through indoor rock climbing! The Young Ascenders welcomes youth from all walks of life into the climbing community and provide learning opportunities about support, communication, problem solving, resilience, self-awareness, trust, self-efficacy, positive thinking habits and more via climbing activities. Using rock climbing as a pedagogical tool, we have designed this program specifically for teens.

Facilitators: Spencer, Cory, and Maribeth Olsen from Young Ascenders

Come join us at Ascent Studio Climbing gym for our trauma-informed rock climbing club! Teen group sizes range from 4-10 and mentor to teen ratio is generally 1-2.

Climbing gear, snacks, and mentors are provided. (Feel free to bring your own water bottle and snack as well!)

Wear comfortable, stretchy and secure clothing (think yoga or typical exercise attire) in case you want to hop into a harness and climb up a wall! We also climb routes that are lower to the ground (Bouldering) so you can choose the height you climb!

Each climbing session begins with a meet and greet, a mentor-led big group warm-up in the team room, and a choice to hang out within our social-central group or do a climbing lesson with our climbing-central group! If our teens have a rough week and are aren’t feeling challenge-ready, it doesn’t mean they have to skip seeing their mentors and friends altogether!

We only recruit long-term volunteers to mentor our teens, who are focused on creating an inclusive environment, building self-esteem, and creating sense of belonging as they are our top program core values.

Rock Climbing integrates both sides of the social spectrum: self-challenge (inner) and trusting others (outer). As we guide our teens through each challenge, it not only offers a sense of belonging - the groundwork is also laid for a trusting and safe environment for them to grow within, when they feel ready.

A few benefits of climbing for our teens:
Climbing in a group can naturally increase a teen’s:

- Sense of belonging
- Sense of achievement
- Mood boost (rock climbing boosts dopamine, norepinephrine & serotonin!)
- Ability to self-motivate
- Accountability
- Strength
- Understanding of trust in a healthy, supportive, inclusive social environment

Climbing is a great teaching tool for:
- Creating ownership around your own physical and emotional safety
- Strengthening sense of consent
- Behavioral Activation & Regulation
- Emotional Awareness & Self-Regulation
- Physical self-regulation
- Spatial Awareness
- Attention Regulation
- Training Impulse Control
- Reframing Negative Thinking
- Building positive Body Image
- Creating Coping Skills through metaphor application
- Finding motivation
- Increasing cognitive function
- Healthy social play 
- Building Trust
- Increasing strength & coordination
- And more!