Photo by Savanna Cummins

Escalando Fronteras | Photo by Savanna Cummins

What is Mountains Beyond Borders?

MBB is international solidarity.

We are a nonprofit connecting international resources to small, impactful youth programs to empower youth & families through climbing.

En Voz Alta | Photo by Bernardo Gimenez

Mission

MBB collaborates with youth programs and partners all united by the common mission to empower youth through climbing. Every youth program offers a unique perspective and impact through facing their own set of generation, economic or societal challenges; they should not stand alone in their work to change the world. Climbing connects us to the mountains, and the mountains connect communities across the globe - why not use the power of the international climbing community to share resources with grassroots initiatives, and empower them to create a higher impact in low-resource areas?

Philosophy

As Lynn Hill said, “Remind children to pursue their passions and dreams”. Youth should be given the tools and life skills to combat societal prejudices, forge strong relationships in their community, and see a world full of opportunity for themselves - no matter the circumstances they are born into. We believe that every child is a unique individual, cultivating their own curiosity and their own identity, and who will one day have an opportunity to impact in their community. Last, we serve youth who can over-identify with a stigmatized label like “disadvantaged”, and in their presence prefer to use a term like “opportunity youth”; after all, isn’t every community reshaped by the next generation?

Finally, MBB exists to uplift youth and their communities, not portray them as victims. We work to establish international solidarity in the form of horizontal partnerships spanning oceans and continents so that, together, we can overcome the mountains that divide us.”

- T. Hensley, Founder

Programs…

accompanying youth programs
around the world

  • Program development

  • Fundraising

  • Mentor training with professionals

  • Advocates & Supporters

  • Experts, methods & research for youth development, psychology & climbing therapy

…Mentorship…

spotlighting ambassadors, advocates & mentors

  • Supporting voices of new or future leaders, mentors & stewards

  • Building a stage for advocates to
    tell their story & initiatives

  • Connecting program directors to partners, supporters and volunteers

  • Bridging relationships between programs and proactive professional climbers and brands

 

…and Solidarity.

MBB’s core values & goals

  • Youth access to outdoors & community

  • Mentor access to training, resources

  • Conscious community building

  • Anti-racism & Anti-colonialism

  • Program access to climbing equipment

MBB’s Origin Story:

  • In 2014 Tiffany Hensley joined a Mexican at-risk youth program called Escalando Fronteras (“Climbing Borders”) to climb with kids.

    Four years later, she saw a way to fulfill the founders’ vision to use EF as a model for other programs around the world:

    So MBB was established as an INGO (international non-governmental organization) in the USA to foster international solidarity for programs like EF, working with youth through climbing.

  • After several years of living with the program and hosting international volunteers, two Carbondale high school students came to EF on their senior trip, and helped fundraise to register Mountains Beyond Borders in the US to support programs just like EF.

  • The name is in tribute both to “Climbing Borders” and “Move Mountains Tour”, MBB’s “maiden voyage” presentation circuit across North America to 12 different climbing gyms - a success, in spite of the founder’s mortal fear of public speaking.