Launched in Boulder, Colorado in January 2001, City Cliffs is the brainchild of Boulder resident Connie Hammis. Hammis recalls that she struggled through her own teen years, which included finding herself homeless in Denver at age 14 and briefly dropping out of high school before finding a job and re-enrolling. After a self-described “maze of self-destructive violent behavior and broken relationships” through high school and college, Hammis stumbled into the world of rock climbing, and therein found a supportive community of diverse individuals. She finished college, becoming an expert climber along the way, and then earned master’s degree in education from Harvard.

“(At Harvard,) I studied to understand and find a way to bring my expanded sense of family and community, which included the environment, to at-risk youths. Climbing is lauded for its empowering and team-building attributes, but there is much more to be gained by joining in the long-term relationships this sport can foster. This climbing program is the synthesis of that graduate work and my experience as a youth worker, an athlete and a friend,” explained Hammis.

As the executive director of City Cliffs, Hammis has created a program to help underprivileged and troubled youths have a better chance at excelling academically while also introducing them to the often prohibitively expensive sport of rock climbing.

“After-school activities reduce violence and provide healthy sources of connection. (And while) climbing challenges individuals both physically and mentally, and fosters healthy competition on all levels individually and in a team, our strongest goal (is) to improve academic performance,” said Hammis.

Accordingly, the program’s participants will spend half of their time after school rock climbing and half of their time in tutoring. In addition, they will participate in community service activities such as trail building. Through such projects, City Cliffs aims to cultivate participants’ appreciation of the desperate need to preserve Colorado’s natural environment. Participants are required to commit to the program for three years (through middle school). City Cliffs’ academic and program directors will meet with the participants’ parents and teachers in order to negotiate the commitment contract and to keep lines of communication open and clear.

“This program will be a model of educational, community, athletic and environmental collaborations,” Hammis noted. “Many programs have been designed to address grades, computer skills, gangs or athletics, but few combine these efforts to maximize resources and foster positive, peaceful relationships in ways that parallel the lives and needs of at-risk youths. City Cliffs balances the needs of participants by addressing all of these components in a challenging, fun, engaging way.”

Statistics show that programs such as City Cliffs are urgently needed in the Denver metro area and across the country. Twelve of Denver’s 21 public middle schools have standardized test score averages that fall below the 30th percentile nationally. In addition, many underserved populations struggle with providing adequate technical training for today’s business world, which requires computer literacy for success. Also lacking in such populations is contact with and meaningful relationships with adult role models who can help guide youths toward successful choices.

City Cliffs anticipates that it can help change these grim statistics. Goals for the program include a 95 percent participation rate, a one-quarter grade increase over the course of a year, improvement of reading and computer skills, and increased community awareness and concern. In its first year of operation, City Cliffs is already experiencing marked success, and financial backing is in place for dramatic program expansion in the near future.