Apply For Scarpa Athlete Mentorship Initiative
Scarpa has launched the Athlete Mentorship Initiative is aimed at growing marginalized community involvement in outdoor sport
The underrepresentation of marginalized communities in climbing is not a new conversation. These last months, however, have drawn increasing attention to such athletes and the need for greater diversity in both the outdoor industry and sport.
Though it should be easy to stand in the support of marginalized communities, few companies have taken efforts to tangibly address the modern problem of inaccessibility in outdoor spaces. On Dec. 16, Scarpa announced the launching of their brand-new Athlete Mentorship Initiative.
This initiative is designed in tandem with Scarpa’s values and athletes to produce a sport and career program aimed at connecting professional athletes with mentees that desire greater knowledge or proficiency in the sport. According to their website, the goal of this program is “to create a more inclusive and diverse community of athletes.”
Who can apply? Scarpa briefly outlined the parameters of their new program: Scarpa is reaching out to historically marginalized populations including, but not limited to:
- BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color)
- LGBTQ
- ADAPTIVE/ Disabled
Communities of climbers, skiers, mountaineers, and runners who are looking to evolve their skills and sport to a new level of excellence.
From ice climbing to bouldering, to ski-mo racing to ultra running, there are up to 14 sub-disciplines within each of the prescribed sports, and each comes complete with one of the 23 professional athletes that will act as mentors for their sport.
Among these, the initiative boasts two Olympic qualified climbers: Canada’s Alannah Yip and the US’s Nathaniel Coleman. They will be joined by Canadian ice legend Will Gadd and 11-time U.S.A. champion Alex Puccio.
According to Scarpa: “The program will consist of one-on-one monthly virtual meet-ups, weekly mentor-mentee communication, Scarpa athlete led focus groups, Outdoor Industry community panels, CEO round tables and a menu of other events and presentations. Scarpa will also provide resources and education focused on goal setting, communication development, equity and inclusion subjects and more.”
The application process will continue until Jan. 15, 2021. Applicants will be notified if they were not chosen for the program by early February, while the program itself will begin in February 2021.
For Scarpa, the Athlete Mentorship Initiative represents the first program of its kind. It is a hopeful tone during a difficult pandemic and might represent one of the first steps toward meaningful change.
There is hope that other companies that have little experience in such initiatives will lend their resources toward growing the sport in a direct and quantifiable way.
The program will run for one year and is an incredible opportunity. If you are someone, or know someone that should apply, you can access the application here.
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