02.21.06

MC Concludes 8th Year Hosting Chill with Career Day

Author: Shannon McSweeney

Mountain Creek is thrilled to add a new component to its ongoing relationship with the Chill Program, with the first ever Career Day to be held at the resort on Wednesday, March 1, 2006.  After six weeks of learning to snowboard, the Chill kids have been given the opportunity to take part in a full day of working and living in a resort environment. 

 

This day-long event will bring approximately 40 juniors and seniors from the Chill program, as well as a select group of alumni, to the resort where they will shadow employees from different departments and learn about career opportunities in the resort industry.  The goal of this event is to show participants, many of whom are close to graduation, the benefits and opportunities available in the leisure and snow sports industries.  Participation in this program is also something that will differentiate them from their peers when applying and interviewing for continuing education, their first jobs or careers.

Chill is an intervention program for disadvantaged inner-city kids, ages 10 to 18. The program teaches at-risk kids to snowboard over six weeks each winter, giving them everything they need for the experience: lift tickets, instruction, bus transportation and head-to-toe gear. This winter, Chill will serve over 2200 disadvantaged boys and girls in 14 North American cities, including 220 New York City youths right here at Mountain Creek.  Chill reaches these kids through multiple New York City schools and agencies such as Friends of Island Academy, Harlem Community Justice Center, Argus, JCCA-Bronx, Salvation Army, Children's Village, Abbott House, Edenwald Center, and Leake & Watts Children's Services.

These youth are challenged by a multitude of issues such as foster care, addictions, the juvenile justice system, drugs, violence, excessive anger or depression. Many have never left their cities or neighborhoods, and most have never been to the mountains. Chill gives them the chance to shed their labels of addict, delinquent, troublemaker, or underachiever, and through their own personal success, become a snowboarder.

Kids want to learn to snowboard because it is fun, but it takes several lessons and lots of hard work to learn.  The program uses snowboarding to help kids accomplish goals, while teaching important life lessons such as patience, persistence, respect, courage, responsibility and pride, through positive adult role models who treat them with respect and encouragement.  The results speak for themselves.

 One exemplary success story has emerged from the program, in a young girl from the Bronx named Stephanie.  Last season, Stephanie joined the Chill program following in her sister's footsteps from the year before.  Stephanie had faced many difficult challenges in her young life.  Due to a family tragedy which devastated her mother, driving her to both mental and physical abuse, Stephanie has been in the foster care system since the age of 12.  Since then she's been a part of the Salvation Army Social Services of Greater New York, an agency that works with youth in the foster care and homeless system and directed her to Chill.  The program has had a profound effect on her worldview and hopes for the future, "I discovered happiness in my desolate and…useless life.  I gained confidence in myself and my abilities, as well as a great amount of self-esteem….Before Chill I went about my life much differently than I do today….I didn't care if I existed.  I believed that I had nothing left to live for.  I spent day after day as though I was nothing, because back then I felt I was nothing, I had nothing and nothing mattered.  Chill became the only good thing in my life.  No one can tell me what I'm incapable of doing now, because I know I can do anything if I try."  The Chill Program not only gave her a taste of success, and life outside of her neighborhood, but even provided her the opportunity to attend the Camp of Champions, a snowboarding summer camp based in Whistler B.C. This year, now 18, she has graduated to a Peer Leader for the Mountain Creek program, and also volunteers her time in support of the program. 

*For more information on Stephanie, Chill, Career Day or to request an interview, please contact Shannon McSweeney at Mountain Creek.