Youths of the Andes
The idea is to found a rock-climbing and mountaineering school in Andean mountain communities, creating alternatives for youths in these regions.
About You
Location
Project Street Address
Project City
Project Province/State
Project Postal/Zip Code
Project Country
Your idea
Field of Work
health/sports
If Field of Work is “other” please define in 1-2 words below
Year project started (or projected start date) (yyyy)
2009
YouTube Upload
Project URL (or link to any media coverage)
What is the primary problem your venture is trying to address and how are you addressing it (or planning to address it)?
The problem is the scarcity of alternatives that youths who live in isolated Andean communities have, ranging from jobs to playing sports. Many of these communities are in perfect locations for mountaineering and rock-climbing, for which they are frequently visited by tourists, yet the people who live in these communities know nothing about these sports and generally live in the mines, where youths work, from a very early age, under very poor conditions.
My idea is to found a rock-climbing and mountaineering school to teach people in these communities. During this education they will explore alternatives, which can be the simple enjoyment of a healthy sport to better work alternatives (in tourism).
Name Your Project
Youths of the Andes
Describe Your Idea
The idea is to found a rock-climbing and mountaineering school in Andean mountain communities, creating alternatives for youths in these regions.
Innovation
Project Description
The idea is to found a rock-climbing and mountaineering school in Andean mountain communities, creating alternatives for youths in these regions.
Unique and different
The idea is to teach youths about rock-climbing and mountaineering, prompting the development of sporting activities in very distant communities where the youths normally don’t have any possibilities of this type.
Actually, they only try to play traditional sports, such as soccer or basketball, which are difficult in regions with “vertical” geography. The development of rock-climbing is perfect for these regions and is integral to one’s personal development, helping them physically as well as empowering them to make decisions, accomplish goals, control their bodies, develop camaraderie and many values.
Mountaineering is very popular among tourists to the Andes. Teaching youths in these same regions would allow them to work with tourism in the high mountains, being guides, porters, high-mountain cooks, etc. Those fields of work are very strong right now. This would create a source of jobs in their own communities, without having to migrate to the cities.
Project plan
Do a pilot instructional program with the community. In addition to this program, take a survey to determine the viability of developing the project as planned.
Partnerships
With the Association of Mountain and Trekking Guides of Bolivia (AGMTB) through personal meetings with the president of the AGMTB.
With the travel agency Adventure Planet. http://www.planetaventura.com/
With the La Paz sport climbing association.
With the rock-climbing Club Vértigo. http://vertigoclimbing.blogspot.com/
With the “Cultural Creative Space” organization.
Impact
Impact
Teaching youths rock-climbing and mountaineering helps get many of them out of work in the mines, under terrible conditions, improving their quality of life and giving them economic alternatives through the tourism community and adventure ecotourism, as well as other alternatives for the entire community. This also allows them to avoid migration to the city, since they have alternatives in their own regions.
Rock-climbing promotes the formation of values, since it’s a sport between multiple, cooperating people who are attempting to achieve objectives together; it’s also an open-air sport and instills respect for nature. This way, there’s an impact on the fundamental development of these people, in their quality of life and in their respect for the natural world.
Effectiveness
Children and youths in isolated Andean regions benefit directly, and the entire community benefits indirectly.
How do you engage and impact the community?
This field has not been completed
How do you measure this impact?
This field has not been completed
Obstacles
El financiamiento, principalmente para hacer posible el traslado a las comunidades, por su difícil acceso.
La continuidad y sustentabilidad del proyecto a largo plazo.
This Entry is about (Issues)
Sustainability
Financing source
(or how do you expect your initiative will be financed)
Para comenzar el proyecto es necesario algún tipo de financiamiento externo, como donaciones y colaboraciones. Con el proyecto ya empezado es posible generar recursos a partir del turismo comunitario y el ecoturismo. En cuanto a la escalada deportiva la idea es formar una seleccion de escalada que pueda ser financiada por empresas privadas como Sponsors.
Aside from financial sustainability, how do you plan to grow and sustain your project?
Esperamos que el proyecto crezca y se desarrolle también en las ciudades. Esperando crear una escuela de escalada y montañismo auto sustentable en la ciudad trabajando conjuntamente con la asociación paceña de escalada deportiva.
En otros países existen escuelas de escalada mas enfocadas a la tecnificación del deporte y el alto rendimiento deportivo, esperamos crear alianzas con estos países para realizar intercambios y abrirnos a estos enfoques más deportivos. A su vez que ellos puedan ver la realidad, tan diferente, que se vive en muchas comunidades de los andes Bolivianos.
Finance details
This field has not been completed. (166 words or less)
Creative funding
To participate in a South American championship rock-climbing tourney in Chile we gathered money by selling keyrings, making enough to pay for the trip.
Other non finance needs
Rock-climbing equipment (materials).
Human resources for education.
Facilitation of transport to reach communities.
Project manager (Communication area, gathering funds)
The Story
Motivation
I have been involved in the sport of rock-climbing for many years, since I was selected to represent Bolivia in a world championship and experienced the dearth of support that there is for this sport in the country. Previously, on many rock-climbing trips in the interior of the country I have been able to see the precarious living conditions of people in Andean communities, where youths have almost no options, yet live in places that are perfect for rock-climbing.
In the year 2005 I helped develop rock-climbing routes in the Umapalca Community as part of a community tourism project. At that moment I realized that rock-climbing could be an alternative for these people and I began to think of this project.
Awards
I have participated in the following rock-climbing championships as a representative of Bolivia:
World Rock-climbing Championship, Munich ’05.
Panamerican Rock-climbing Championship, Ibarra, Ecuador ’05.
Youth World rock-climbing Championship, Imst, Austria ’06.
ALBA sports, Caracas, Venezuela ’07.
Southamerican “Master of Bouldering 2008”, Pucón, Chile ’08.
Southamerican “Frey Rock Master”, Bariloche, Argentina ’08.
In addition to being the youth champion in rock-climbing during the years 2005 and 2006, I was national sub-champion in the adult category in 2007 and champion in 2008.
Broader context
This field has not been completed. (166 words or less)
Ongoing
This field has not been completed. (166 words or less)
What is your age?
21
How did you hear about this competition?
Por medio del Espacio Cultural Creativo, que trabaja con Ashoka.
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