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Using Adventure for Good in the Favelas of Brazil

Building the FIRST EVER climbing wall for a marginalized community.

Community – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

BEYONDgear: adventure for good

an array of links to various external articles about BEYONDgearlink to an article in the Climbing magazine blog about BEYONDgear link to an article about BEYONDgear on the adventure journal link to an article about BEYONDgear on the Prana blog link to an article about BEYONDgear on the Outside Magazine blog link to a shoutout to BEYONDgear by Alex Honnold on his facebook page link to an article about BEYONDgear on the Daily Camera link to an article about BEYONDgear in the USC news

Has climbing changed your life? Share the gift of climbing with an at-risk kid from the slums of Brazil and receive cool Christmas gifts from BEYONDgear.

The favelas (slums) of Rio de Janeiro are built within a Mecca of world class climbing. Youth in these underprivileged communities are faced with an array of difficulties and negative influences like drugs, violence and gang life. Climbing can offer these youth a positive alternative to their daily struggles and the construction of a modern climbing wall will provide them with this opportunity.

Approximately 5,000 murders are reported per year in Rio de Janeiro's favelas. Climbing is not the end all solution but it can certainly help.

Rock climbing above the Rocinha Favela 

How it works:

BEYONDgear is donating ALL PROCEEDS to the construction of a modern climbing wall for the CEU Urban Climbing School right there in the Rocinha "Favela" of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

An infographic explaining how many products must be sold to fund the wall. 2000x necklaces/bracelets or 1700x shirts/hats/chalk bags

Join our movement to use adventure for good and receive cool BEYONDgear products that allow you to share your passion for adventure with at-risk youth who would never have that opportunity otherwise. 

 The BEYONDgear Stopper NecklaceThe stopper necklace packaging.An infographic explaining that once we reach the wall funding goal, additional funding will go to the program.

The Perks

For donating $10 you get our custom wallpaper.

 For $25 you get to choose one of our stopper charms.

For $30 you get a hat, shirt, or chalk bag.

For $50 you get any 2 items of gear.
For $100 you recieve a limited edition black matte Stopper on a necklace or bracelet.
For $200 you get 1 of every piece of gear as well as your name on the wall's dedication plaque.
 
We also offer advanced packages including a framed photo of Rio's epic scenery, a tour of the CEU Urban Climbing School and Wall with a guided climb of Sugarloaf Peak in Rio, or the ultimate guided dream climb of Half Dome.

Our Story - A letter from Asa Firestone, Co-Founder of BEYONDgear and the CEU Urban Climbing School

In 2003, while living in Brazil, I traveled to Rio de Janeiro to climb on the wild granite peaks that erupt right out of the city. On the slopes of these cliffs, massive favelas (slums) have spawned from decades of Brazilian social inequalities. While visiting Rio, I was inspired to climb the wild ‘Two Brothers’ peak that soars 1,000 feet above the famous Ipanema Beach. However, I was told it was too dangerous due to heavily armed drug militias that made their headquarters in the nearby favelas. I was frustrated that a peak could not be climbed because of crime. I decided to do my part to change that by sharing my positive experiences of climbing with the favela community. By providing outdoor education and enabling access to the climbing resources just above the favelas, the power of adventure can be harnessed to change lives.

The Two Brothers Peak as seen from Ipanema Beach in Rio. The Vidigal Favela is seen to the left of the peaks and the massive Rocinha Favela is just behind the peaks.

In 2010, I teamed up with Andrew Lenz, a brilliant local climbing guide and change maker, to form the CEU Urban Climbing School in the Rocinha Favela. Rocinha is one of the largest slums in Brazil and located just below the Two Brothers Peak. CEU is a not for profit organization that utilizes the local rock climbing resources to help at-risk youth in Rio's favelas. CEU recently obtained permission from the Brazilian Bureau of Sports (SUDERJ) to build a professional climbing wall in the government managed Rocinha sports complex.

Climbing Sugarloaf Peak with the CEU Urban Climbing School

In order to help fund this project, we created BEYONDgear, a social enterprise that funds adventure sports programs to help at-risk youth. By creating a brand of lifestyle adventure gear that allows adventure enthusiasts to share their positive experiences in the outdoors with kids who would never have that opportunity otherwise, we can generate an entire movement to use adventure for good. 

BEYONDgear jewelry with the Stopper Bracelet crossing the stream

What We Need & What You Get

We need to raise $50,000 to build a state of the art climbing wall in a government run sports complex in the Rocinha Favela (slum) of Rio de Janeiro. This climbing wall will facilitate replacing the bad risks of drugs and violence so prevalent in these communities with the positive risks of adventure. If we raise more money, we will continue to support the CEU Urban Climbing School in Rio to use rock climbing to help kids from the favelas. See below for a mock up of the climbing wall project:

CEU climbing wall mock-up

Together, we can build the first climbing wall EVER to be constructed within a marginalized community.

What are we going to do with the money?

All proceeds raised by this campaign will go towards building a climbing wall for at-risk youth in the Favelas of Rio de Janiero, Brazil. With the sale of just 2,000 BEYONDgear bracelets, necklaces, hats and tees, we will have the appropriate funds to see this project through. Additional proceeds will go to the CEU Urban Climbing School to fund climbing education for the same at-risk youth.

Most of the money collected in this campaign will go directly to the project. Manufacturing and distribution costs associated with BEYONDgear products that are purchased through Indiegogo, as well as minor administrative fees will be deducted from the total collected. 

Other Ways You Can Help

Thank you for joining the BEYONDgear Movement to use adventure for good, you can continue to help by:

  1. Wearing BEYONDgear and telling the world
  2. Sharing our campaign on Facebook: Please like and share both the CEU facebook page and the BEYONDgear facebook page:
  3. Join our newsletter:  http://eepurl.com/ry6kX
  4. Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/beyondgear
    • Retweet our progress tweets every Wednesday at 2pm PST

Finally, indiegogo has told us to remind you to use the Indiegogo share tools!

And that’s all there is to it. Join us to use adventure for good!!! 

FAQ

If my question isn't answered here, how do I ask?

Just email us – info@gobeyondgear.com

What is a Stopper and why are many of our items designed around it?

A Stopper or Nut is a piece of climbing gear that protects climbers from falls. It is a tapered piece of metal that a climber lodges into a crack so it gets stuck and then connects his/her rope to it. We believe the stopper is an excellent symbol for our brand’s mission, to use adventure for good.

When will my perks be delivered?

Depends on the item but most will ship on 12:20:2012. OUR CHALK BAGS WILL NOT ARRIVE UNTIL AFTER CHRISTMAS! Please contact us if you have any questions.

What are our products made out of?

The Stopper Necklace / Bracelet is made out of pewter. The Stopper Earrings are silver plated with a surgical steel post to avoid skin allergies. The Chalk bags are partially made from recycled tents. The flexfit hats are made with 59% bamboo fiber and the rest cotton and spandex. The Tees are made from recycled plastic bottles by Playbackclothing.com and are surprisingly soft and comfortable.

Are BEYONDgear products available in retail stores?

Not yet, but soon! BEYONDgear will be in retail stores in 2013. 

Where are the products manufactured?

All of our BEYONDcharms jewelry is manufactured in Boulder, CO. Our chalk bags are made by local artisans in Peru. The hats are currently made in Vietnam. The Tees are made here in the good old USA.

Is there a charge for International Shipping?

Yes, there will need to be an additional charge to ship internationally. It costs $15 per item to ship to international addresses.  If you buy a 2-item dual set it costs $25. For a Full-Set it is $40. For a Framed Photo Package it costs an extra $75 (a framed photo is a big item to ship internationally). Please include this in the checkout price.  If you forget, we'll contact you prior to shipping to finalize those details.

If you have any specific questions about your location, please email us at: info@gobeyondgear.com.

Team on This Campaign: