Cancer is a difficult disease for anyone to overcome. The feelings of fear, uncertainty, and vulnerability can be crippling. Treatments, including chemotherapy, debilitate the body and try the strongest of minds. In the United States, approximately 15,700 children are diagnosed with cancer every year. Young children diagnosed with cancer face an additional challenge – they do not yet have the life experience necessary to help them understand, face and overcome the lifelong mental and ... Read More
Cancer is a difficult disease for anyone to overcome. The feelings of fear, uncertainty, and vulnerability can be crippling. Treatments, including chemotherapy, debilitate the body and try the strongest of minds. In the United States, approximately 15,700 children are diagnosed with cancer every year. Young children diagnosed with cancer face an additional challenge – they do not yet have the life experience necessary to help them understand, face and overcome the lifelong mental and physical challenges that come with the disease.
The One Summit mission is to help children with cancer build courage, self-confidence and resilience through experiential learning and mentorship with a U.S Navy SEAL. Our experiential learning takes place through a “Climb for Courage” indoor rock climbing event. Through this exciting, challenging, and safe adventure, mentors and children will work together and grow and learn from each other. This event and the sustained relationships that are formed give the children the strength and support they can rely upon as they undergo one of life’s greatest challenges- cancer.
Becoming a Navy SEAL requires candidates to overcome near-insurmountable obstacles. The SEAL program is the toughest military training in the world, and tests an individual’s physical endurance, mental tenacity, and ability to work as part of a team. SEAL training pushes candidates to the limit, and beyond, to ensure they have the core values necessary to succeed in the most demanding conditions and against all odds. Approximately 80% will quit during training. The few candidates who are able to overcome these challenges and become Navy SEALS understand how to persevere and keep fighting, even after their bodies and minds told them to stop. The characteristic and values the Navy SEALs embrace make them the ideals mentors to help guide the children through their battle.
Navy SEAL Characteristics:
- Strong character, integrity, grit and honor
- Never quit attitude
- Place welfare of others before own
- Real life experiences facing adversity
- Perseverance and uncommon desire to thrive in chaos and adversity
- Loyalty and trust to each other and working as a team to solve a problem
From SEAL Ethos: "I lead by example in all situations. I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My Nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight."
Resilience is the ability to “bounce back” in the face of adversity and difficult life experiences. It is a trait that can be developed. At our Climb for Courage, mentors will lead children through individual challenges that will help them learn how to achieve growth through adversity. The long-lasting relationships and transferable skills learned through our event provides the children with an additional means of strength, encouragement and hope as they fight to reach their ultimate goal: beating cancer. Our curriculum is based on five principles:
MENTORSHIP
The unique nature of the event will enable children to develop a long-lasting relationship with their mentor. Our group’s willingness to be there when it counts the most – after the event ends – provides the children with an additional means of strength and support
GOAL SETTING
Mentors encourage children to avoid seeing the large wall as an insurmountable problem. Instead, they assist in breaking the large problem down into small, obtainable pieces and empower the children to take small steps towards accomplishing a larger goal.
COURAGE & SELF-CONFIDENCE
The rock climbing experience provides an unfamiliar challenge in a safe and controlled environment. Children gain a sense of pride and self-confidence as they tackle their fears and reach their goals.
SET BACKS & CHANGING DIRECTION
During the course of the day, the child may fall down or encounter difficult routes. Despite these setbacks, their Navy SEAL mentor encourages them to maintain a hopeful, never-give-up attitude, and to remember that it’s okay to fall, but to always get back up.
WORKING AS A TEAM TO ACCOMPLISH A GOAL
The mentees and mentors build companionship and work as a team to accomplish a goal. Mentees learn to trust and rely on their mentor enabling them to recognize they are not in the fight alone.
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