We're excited to share our short film, What The Hands Do, with our community. We'll have complementary food and drinks available before the film starts, and we'll also have a chance to win some great giveaways. We will be joined by our nonprofit partner, Catalyst Sports and several local climbing groups.
Here's our run of show for the evening:
Mariana Mendoza and Miguel Casar are attracted to proud, challenging boulders and approach the sport with passion and dedication.
At the same time, they believe that climbing hard is not the only thing that matters. As lifelong social justice advocates, they ask: How can we use climbing to cultivate joy and connection in our communities? Can climbing create opportunities for meaningful growth? How can we use climbing to shape the world we want to see?
Born and raised in Mexico, currently living in the US, Mariana (she, ella, mariana) is a climber, organizer, narrative nerd, and popular educator. She comes from organizing with movements for carceral abolition, harm reduction, migrant justice, and the intersections of just transition. Mariana started her climbing journey 15 years ago, building community, growing muscles, and finding a different form of somatic power.
Miguel Casar Ph. D. (he/him/el) is a Mexican activist scholar, climber, educator and professional dabbler in many things, including trampoline jumping and building legos.
In his movement work and scholarship, Miguel explores how research can honor the right of marginalized communities and those resisting oppression to ask critical questions about our realities, build power, and become protagonists of history as we imagine, author and cultivate just and humanizing futures.
The mission of Catalyst Sports is to give people with physical disabilities access to the life-changing impact of adventure within a supportive and inclusive community.
ACCESS:
Through innovative adaptive equipment and with the support of trained volunteers, we break down the barriers that prevent people with disabilities from accessing adventure sports in their community.
COMMUNITY:
All of our adventures take place alongside a supportive and inclusive community of people.
IMPACT:
Our adventures impact the participants, the volunteers and the entire community. Through these programs, people with disabilities are empowered to discover their strength and abilities and everyone discovers that we all play a part.