Over 100 children earn their “GRIT” by way of learning snowboarding

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Morris County, NJ – This past winter, kids had the opportunity to conquer the slopes while overcoming their fears through an exclusive partnership between Lakeland Hills Family YMCA, Mountain Creek Resort, and the Mental Health Association. Students in grades 3-8 immersed themselves in a 3-month experience, where they not only learned how to shred the slopes but also acquired lifelong social and emotional skills.

Known as “GRIT ‘n Snow,” with its meaning of “Growing Resiliency In Time” kicked off with children learning how to snowboard or ski with Mountain Creek pros using Burton® gear in the Y's gymnasium. Following this, they hit the mountain to apply their skills on the snow. Sessions began in early December 2023, comprising one hour in the gym with Mountain Creek professionals for snowboarding lessons, followed by one hour in a classroom setting focusing on one of the mental components of GRIT: Resilience, Empathy, Friendship, Communication, and Confidence. Additionally, there were Saturday trips to the slopes at Mountain Creek. The program concluded with a fun family dinner at Mountain Creek on February 10, where participants and their families celebrated the skills learned through the GRIT experience, both on and off the slopes.

This innovative program was inclusive, catering to both Y members and non-members, with almost 20% of the available slots allocated to students in need of financial assistance. The program's cost covered all equipment, instruction, and transportation to Mountain Creek. Sponsorship from Mountain Creek with partner Mental Health Association ensured that the program was accessible to as many students as possible within its enrollment. The Y encouraged participation from students with special abilities as well. Eliminating or minimizing barriers to physical disabilities is essential to include individuals of all capabilities to participate in life-changing programs and encouraging the love of sport.

Each session at Lakeland Hills Family YMCA consisted of two hours, with one hour dedicated to an adventure curriculum of skills-based training with professionals from Mountain Creek, and the other hour focused on facilitated activities and conversations, including role-playing and social media posts. Addressing the mental health component of the program was deemed equally important, if not more so, than the snowboarding/skiing skills. With one in six U.S. youth aged 6-17 experiencing a mental health disorder each year, the partnership with the Mental Health Association held vital significance. The program consistently engaged youth in coping strategies, relationship building, friendships, and fostering connections, offering support for common youth mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, and trauma.

The President and CEO of Lakeland Hills, Alejandro Martinez, emphasized skill building is not just learned in the classroom.

“One of the key areas of working with kids to instill in them some of these essential skills is the vehicle in which it’s delivered. We were honored to partner with Mountain Creek, a company that really gets it, that’s really invested in youth; teaching them these skills so that when these children fall, they have the resiliency to get back up; get back up and continue. These are the skills that are not just for school, but are for life. These are lifelong skills essential to their success”.

Spend a few minutes and view the “GRIT ‘n Snow” video finale here and learn more about this unique program.

Another key component of GRIT was fostering the connection between parent and child. Time, stress, age, and communication can all have a negative impact on a parent and child bond. When speaking to the community during the planning process of this initiative, it was noted that parents of middle-school aged kids find it difficult to find activities where they can truly connect with their child. Snowboarding and skiing are activities that invite all ages and allow both parent and child to experience learning and cheering each other on, together. This is what made the Family Finale dinner experience so unique. Families were connected through this physical and mental wellness program that made a tremendous impact on all the participants, including the instructors!

The “GRIT ‘n Snow” program, presented by Mountain Creek, Lakeland Hills YMCA, and Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris, received national recognition with the 2023 “Mountains are for Everyone” Award from the National Ski Areas Association. Locally, Lakeland Hills YMCA received the 2023 Innovative Program Award from the Morris County Chamber of Commerce.

For more information on Lakeland Hills Family YMCA please visit their website at www.lakelandhillsymca.com or email Rosemary Linder Day, Vice President of Marketing and Membership, at rosemaryl@lhymca.com.

No one serves the community as powerfully as the Y does every day.

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