About Us

AYCP was founded by a few passionate volunteers and the youth who were
inspired by them. The vision that co-founders Phil Clark and Mica Cardillo
pursued are still omnipresent at AYCP. Our passion, hard work, and
fundamental principals are the reasons why our work continues. Everything
we do involves long term relationship building, skill development, mentoring,
inclusiveness, personal fitness, environmental awareness, and stewardship.
At AYCP, we want to be defined by both our character and our passions.

AYCP started up in 2003 with its first program called Open Sessions (later changed to
Climb Free!). Co-founders Mica Cardillo and Phil Clark, with the help of many other
volunteers and SOU Outdoor Program, began offering a continuous free drop-in
program that created an inviting atmosphere for community members of all ages.

At the same, Mica and Phil also promoted and led a variety of outdoor trips, giving
low-to-mid income youth the rare opportunity to experience the great outdoors without
expensive guiding fees. They also inspired youth to participant in numerous stewardship
events including cleanups, environmental restoration, community fairs, and Peregrine
falcon monitoring.

After three months of success with their first program, Mica began another after school
program and named it Climbing Team (later changed to Ashland Climbing Team). The
program enabled rock climbers from Ashland Middle School, Ashland High School, and
college students to train together for competitions, share life experiences, go on outdoor
trips, and organize stewardships events. The idea for an Oregon High School Climbing
League (OHSCL) started here, and we continue to work towards making this league a
reality.

We've put on a number of camps since our first year, Beginner's Climbing Camp and
Climbing Team Camp I. The following summer, developed new camps including: Junior
Outdoor Lifestyle Camp and Climbing Team Camp II (Yosemite National Park).

In the fall of 2004, we began offering an outreach program to work with local classes.
AYCP volunteers also provide free consulting or low-cost contracts on related-projects,
such as the building of climbing walls at both Helman and Bellview Elementary School.

Today, AYCP's reach is slowly growing. We have significant goals which we have not yet
achieved, but a deep sense of pride is felt for what has been accomplished to this point.
We're dedicated to inspiring our ourselves, our community, and creating a future
generation of leaders.

MENTORING!

Imagine yourself as a teenager. You're full of ambition and always ready to take on
the world, but cannot seem to elude a feeling of suffocation and anguish.
Conflicting messages are everywhere.

Your thirst for freedom ultimately motivates you to take risks with your peers. Often,
your decisions end up being mistakes and unnecessary risks. Your parents don't
always understand you! You have great respect for some of your teachers, but
many of them don't have the time to develop close personal relationships with you.
You are hopeful that an outsider will help you out, because they can relate to you
better than your parents and share a similar passion (such as rock climbing or
mountain biking) with you. But they've got their own lives and you're lucky if they let
you tag along on an outdoor trip. You're bored. What are you going to do? Who is
going to help you do it?

Ok, now fast forward to adulthood! The demands of higher education, earning a
living, caring for family, and paying the bills can be overwhelming at times. You
realize how costly your youthful, care-free attitudes may have been. You try raise
your kids differently, but they usually don't listen to you. You understand, now, that
mentors can play a crucial role in your kids life.

How can you connect your kids with mentors who have the wisdom and training
needed to guide your children in the right direction? And who trains the mentors to
make sure they understand the responsibilities of guiding young people?

AYCP's attitude is that you should never be bored with your life. You have so much
to work for. Either you can learn from others or use your energy, experience and
wisdom to help guide someone who is less experienced. Our approach is to inspire a
continuous lifelong cycle of learning and teaching. Every participant should consider
herself as both a mentor and a mentee, and you should accept the responsibility of
both roles.