BOULDER, Colo. (December 17, 2020) – SCARPA, a trusted leader in the outdoor space, is excited to announce the launch of its first-ever “SCARPA Stands for Guiding Growth” Athlete Mentorship Initiative. This initiative will live at the core of SCARPA’s mission to create more diversity, equity and inclusion in the climbing and outdoor sports community.
SCARPA’s guiding principles, SCARPA Stands, include the planet, people, principles and product. SCARPA’s commitment to guiding growth within historically marginalized and underserved communities falls under the “people” principle. Based on the belief that SCARPA will not rest until it sees people from these communities at all levels of sport and industry, including as sponsored athletes, professional guides, company leaders and in our boardrooms, the Athlete Mentorship Initiative aims to support them as a first step on a longer journey towards more inclusion and representation.
The goal of the Athlete Mentorship Program is to connect and engage the SCARPA athlete team with accomplished athletes from historically marginalized communities who aspire to take their sport or career to the next level. SCARPA is reaching out to these populations including, but not limited to, the BIPOC, LGBTQ and adaptive/disabled communities of climbers, skiers, mountaineers and trail runners who may benefit from being paired with a SCARPA athlete mentor who can guide them in the right direction and towards achieving their specific goals. Some of these goals might include:
- Establishing connections in the industry
- Building brand partnerships
- Growing their social media presence
- Transitioning their athletic interests into a career
- Learning how to work effectively with non-profit organizations
SCARPA plans to use its community of experts to educate and empower the mentees, while encouraging all participants to give back to others in their communities after completion of the mentorship program. This will be accomplished through 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 selection of other events and presentations. SCARPA will also provide resources and education focused on goal setting, communication development, equity and inclusion subjects and more.
“SCARPA acknowledges that its current athlete team and therefore mentors are not representative of the communities the Athlete Mentorship Initiative aims to cater to,” said Kim Miller, CEO of SCARPA North America. “This program is a first step within a much longer journey that SCARPA is committed to venturing further into in hopes that real change will come from it, and that you all will consider joining us. Diversity and inclusion needs to happen on all levels, from new outdoor enthusiasts to experienced outdoor athletes, and there needs to be an accessible progression of stepping stones that will help people follow their dreams and reach their full athletic or professional potential in climbing and outdoor sports.”
If you or someone you know would be a good fit for this program and wants to learn from professional athletes how to excel at the highest level of an outdoor sports discipline, please visit SCARPA’s website for more information and for details about how to apply.
Mentee applications will be accepted until January 15th, 2021. Applicants will be notified if they were or were not chosen for the program in early February. The inaugural year of the program will begin in February 2021 and conclude in January 2022.
About SCARPA and SCARPA North America
Founded in 1938, SCARPA builds performance footwear for climbing, hiking, skiing, mountaineering, trail running and other outdoor pursuits from its headquarters in Asolo, Italy. SCARPA has been owned and operated by the Parisotto family since 1956. In 2005, SCARPA opened its North American headquarters in Boulder, Colo., staffed and directed by veterans of the North American outdoor industry, to oversee sales, marketing and distribution in the U.S., Canada and South America. For more information about SCARPA footwear, visit www.scarpa.com.
