As The Studio Climbing expands its outreach to San Jose State University students and San Jose City residents with student rate nights and discounted memberships, its relationship with inner-city organizations is also developing as it donate services to schools, women’s shelters and at-risk children programs. EMQ Families First is its latest big fan of top-rope sessions and Intro to Climbing Classes, finding the Studio Climbing to be a great place to foster excellence and boost confidence in their youth.
“Touchstone Climbing has been a wonderful partner in supporting at-risk children and teens,” said Nicole Garces with EMQ Families First. “These youths are able to set goals and work on facing their fears, while trying something new. They were able to push themselves ways they never thought possible! It is such a positive experience for youth and teams to try something difficult that requires forethought and persistence.”
EMQ Families First staff brings their children groups to the Studio Climbing often to rock climb at discounted rates. One youth said “rock climbing makes me feel good about myself, because even though I get scared I love it when I get to the top!” Garces added “It becomes a beautiful experience to see children surprise themselves when they are able to succeed in this. It has also been an excellent place for youth to practice coping skills because they are faced with different challenges when rock climbing.”
The Studio Climbing doesn’t limit its efforts to only providing discount day passes for kids. The Studio often awards certificates to organizations for Intro to Climbing Classes for community groups, non-profits, and neighborhood companies. “We see it as a great way to introduce the local community to climbing, and provide fundraising opportunities for local organizations,” said Touchstone Marking Director Lauryn Claassen.
Outreach has been a priority for The Studio Climbing since day one. Manager Diane Ortega mentioned when the gym opened in March 2012, “I really want to foster a community environment and keep people psyched on climbing and make it really easy to introduce people to it as well… I am also very excited to introduce San Jose kids to climbing and get a great kids team going.” Ortega said the Studio Climbing’s location makes it easier to get inner-city kids involved rock climbing; it’s about enriching lives, boosting confidence and helping solve life problems.
Stacey, with EMQ Families First added, “We see kids who have a hard time follow rules and believing in themselves. They’re excited when they think about rock climbing, and their confidence goes up when they get to the top, but also in trying a wall harder than they expect. The walls at The Studio causes them to think seriously about safety and listening to directions.”
These are some of Touchstone Climbing’s main goals: safety first, customer service, creativity and community. To take a note from Touchstone Climbing’s Mission Statement, “We give to the community. This is good business practice as a service organization. What we give will come back.”
