So you want to start your own club? Sick.
We’re so psyched that you want to create a space for queer climbers to gather, meet each other, and prosper in their climbing journeys.
Here are our tips and suggestions when it comes to starting your own club.
Get your gym involved.
Determining how much support you’ll need from your host gym will help direct you on how and when to start your club. Is your club part of the gym’s official programming or are you an unaffiliated group? If your club is the latter you can start meeting whenever it works for you; friends meet and climb all the time. But if your group is officially hosted by the gym, you may have to wait.
From the beginning, it’s great to establish a relationship with the facility where you’ll be hosting your meetups because they may be able to help you grow and make the space more accessible. Your gym may be able to advertise your meetups on their social media to bring more people in and they may be willing to offer a discounted day pass to attendees.
It’s also considerate to let the gym know if you expect a large attendance so the staff can prepare :)
We suggest creating a separate group unaffiliated with your host facility. This gives you more control over how you can organize your club and you can avoid any restrictions you might encounter if your club were part of your gym’s official programming. Most gyms believe in the work that you’re doing and are willing to support where they can.
2. Who’s in the club?
You’re on a website about queer climbers so queer people…. duh. But is your group restricted only to members of the LGBTQ+ community or open to everyone? Queer spaces are often enticing to queer people because many feel they are safer from violence and judgement when surrounded by members of their own community. Simply put, they’re able to be themselves.
Often when entering a queer space, you can anticipate a base level of knowledge is shared by most of the attendees. For some, it’s relieving to come into a space where the likelihood of being asked personal questions or having to educate others is less.
We suggest creating a club that centers around the queer community, but is open to everyone. Allies are our friends! Creating an open club also allows those who are still questioning or closeted to be a part of the community without having to out themselves.
3. What happens at the meetup?
Climbing…. obviously. But how will your program be organized? Will it function as a training group or be more of a relaxed social hour that folks can drop in on? Does everyone circle up at the beginning and introduce themselves? Does the group stay together during the whole meetup?
How can you as the event host best facilitate the environment so that it’s supportive of its current members and welcoming to new climbers?
We suggest being flexible and organize your program based on the needs of your community! This may mean scheduled group activities or offering clinics. Sometimes it just means defining a time that a group of people meet in the gym. Regardless, the goal is to create a space that fosters community and makes climbing less intimidating for new climbers to interact with.
We found that the best system for our local community was a relaxed social hour that provided discounted access to the space. Instead of having an intro circle every meet, we have after-climb socials where we grab food, drinks, and meet each other. We also give our members the freedom to split into smaller groups and climb where they’re psyched, rather than staying in a large group, but we always have an event leader who’s available to help new climbers and introduce them to the community.
4. Can people afford it?
Climbing is a specialized sport and often more expensive than a traditional gym. Though anyone regardless of background may need financial support, the climbing space has been historically more inaccessible to members of the Black, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, Adaptive, and other marginalized communities.
There are numerous ways you can ease the financial burden of climbing including discounted day passes, a scholarship or community fund, or organizing a way for your members to donate their guest pass.
We suggest contacting your host facility’s General Manager or Programs Director to see how the gym may be able to help! The easiest way is to offer a discounted day pass for nights when the club meets. Other ideas include offering free climbing on specific nights or events, like a pride celebration.
5. Start the club!
There’s no better time than now. You don’t need to have all your ducks in a row in order for the club to start meeting. It’ll naturally grow and morph itself into whatever the community needs; just remember to be adaptable so those changes can happen!
Remember to check in with your intentions!
At any point in the process, pause and check to make sure that what you’re forming aligns with your mission. Take a moment to imagine yourself in the shoes of whoever you’re building this space for.
If they were to enter this space today, do they feel like it’s been created with them in mind?
This may seem silly because you most likely belong to the community you’re creating this space for, but it’s important to remember that we can’t expect everyone to be able to move throughout a space the same way we do.
For example, if your group is inclusive to nonbinary or genderqueer individuals, does the facility offer gender neutral bathrooms? Does your marketing unintentionally reinforce the binary?
Join our database!
Now that you’ve created your group, we’d love to include you in our database! To be added to our weekly calendar, fill out the form below. To be added to our community directory, click here.