Community Outreach
5 Ideas for Celebrating Black History Month
Though intentionally celebrating and recognizing the achievements of Black Americans and Black communities goes back much farther, Black History Month was institutionalized by The Association for the Study of African American Life and History, at first as Black History Week in 1924, and has been officially sanctioned by every sitting president of the United States…
Team Touchstone at Color the Crag 2018
This year’s Color the Crag at Horsepens 40 in Steele, Alabama was bigger than ever. Offering an incredible array of climbing clinics, panels, and breakout sessions ranging from how to project outside to positive masculinity (not to mention some truly powerful events like a keynote delivered by James Mills, a performance by Deqn Sue, and a…
Thank You Touchstone Community for an Amazing 2017!
We are well past the holiday hangovers and into our #NewYearNewYou resolutions, but we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the incredible things that happened in the Touchstone community in 2017. We use the word “community” a lot because it fully encompasses the things we care about most—the people and places that are…
‘NEXT GENERATION WILDERNESS’ with MGOYA at Cliffs of Id
Cliffs of Id was proud to host the LAPD cadets of the Wilshire Division through the Medicines Global Outdoor Youth Ambassador program. Outdoor stewardship is as near and dear to us as rock climbing—the two are inextricable. So playing a role in both introducing new climbers to the sport and teaching them ways to take care…
Climbing Through Barriers: Fresno’s Transitional Age Youth Program at MetalMark
We at MetalMark Climbing are proud to partner with Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health and provide an active and creative outlet for the Transitional Age Youth Program, which serves young adults ages 17-24 with mental health challenges. Climbing is fun and therapeutic, and Dept. of Behavior Health Clinical Supervisor Jeffery C. Avery was…
Young Scientists Experiment with Climbing at Diablo Rock Gym
We love being a place where our community can come together and learn something new! Our member Rich Tornai recently brought in some of the brightest young minds in Contra Costa County to Diablo Rock Gym to have them try their hands at our favorite sport. Rich was also kind enough to tell us a…
From Oakland to Patagonia: GWPC Donates to Centro Andino El Chaltén
The notion of community is rather nuanced. For most of us, we tend to think of our community as the people and places in close proximity to where we live and work. Another type of community might include friends and family, or others within our regular social circles. But Avram Pearlman and Marie Schwindler,…
Aim High Summer Enrichment Program at Mission Cliffs
Aim High is a free summer learning and enrichment program in Northern California who believe that all students deserve the chance to succeed. They work with middle school students in high-need communities who have limited options and have a multi-year program that includes academic and enrichment opportunities to prepare students for the transition to high…
Join our Adaptive Climbing Program at Berkeley Ironworks!
At Touchstone Climbing we believe that climbing is for EVERYONE. We’re stoked to offer an adaptive program at Berkeley Ironworks in collaboration with Bay Area Outreach & Recreation Program. If you know anyone with an impairment who has always wanted to try climbing but wasn’t sure if they could, send them our way! If you’re…
Big Brothers Big Sisters at LA Boulders
Climbing has a long tradition of mentorship. Many climbers can trace back their first time climbing back to a friend who showed them the ropes (figuratively and literally). We know how powerful that kind of relationship can be, so we really get Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the oldest and largest mentoring program in the…
Hunters Point Family at Dogpatch
At Dogpatch Boulders, we’re lucky to have groups like Gilman Rec Connect visit us regularly. Gilman Rec Connect is an important resource for local kids that collaborates with other established youth organizations to build on school-day learning with educational after-school projects and activities. This summer program is free to kids in the community and serves some of the…
Neighborhood Youth Association Takes it to the Top at LA Boulders
Supporting the kids in our community is one of the most effective ways to encourage a healthy, thriving neighborhood, and the Neighborhood Youth Association is doing just that. NYA is an after school program that “provides low-income and at-risk youth with targeted, individualized academic support, leadership development, STEM learning activities, creative writing and arts enrichment, and college…