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CMRCA facilitators Josh, Phi, and Denali teamed up with the JUMP! Foundation to deliver an outstanding three-day leadership development and community building program last week with The Regent’s School Pattaya. 

53 student leaders from Year 7 to Year 12 came together on Koh Chang to prepare for the Round Square International Conference, which they will host in October 2010. Three intensive days of ground-shaking energizers, baffling team challenges, profound personal exploration, innovative drama performances, leadership tools and models, and powerful debriefs made this an unforgettable experience for everyone involved.  We emerged from the Community Leadership Retreat confident, energized, aware, trusting, and inspired!

Congrats to all the Regent’s School participants for taking such long strides on the path to personal, community, and global leadership! We look forward to staying in touch with you as you continue to climb all kinds of mountains.  Lead on!

12th Year students from Yew Chung International School, Hong Kong completed their CAS requirement this week in Chiang Mai.  Required for the IB Diploma, CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) is based on the idea that personal leadership development and hands-on, engaging community service are essential elements of a balanced, truly outstanding high school education.  Yew Chung’s week-long CAS trip ended with a bang as students climbed to new heights on a CMRCA Ultimate Rope and Rock Adventure.

From a challenging Tyrolean Traverse to an epic Rock Paper Scissors Tournament, this was a day to shout about.  Yew Chung students, congrats on finishing your CAS!  Come back to visit us in Chiang Mai and remember to create the kind of experience YOU want to create.Climb ON!

Social studies take on a whole new level of meaning when the world becomes your classroom.  9th graders at the Hutchins School have a chance to discover this in the Global Challenge program, a course in history and geography that culminated this year with an immersive two-week trip to Thailand.  On the way, they joined CMRCA at Crazy Horse for the Ultimate Rope and Rock Adventure.

In an action-packed day, we practiced the fundamental skills of rock climbing and belaying, learned how to read the clues caves yield about local geography and culture, walked up hills (a favorite activity), and abseiled 55 meters into a huge cavern.    These guys were as keen on the adventure aspects of field study as they were on the educational ones.  We don’t really blame them.

Many thanks to the Hutchins School 9th graders for your adventurous spirit and enthusiasm!  We hope to see you next year for the next stage in the Global Challenge.

Grade 5: Fun and Fearless!  A fantastic group of students and teachers from Concordian International School Bangkok discovered the many wonders of Crazy Horse Buttress and Chiang Mai.  It was an action-packed day of exploration and adventure!  We flew across the Tyrolean Traverse in Anxiety State Crisis Cave, met bats and baby stalactites, climbed the cliffs at Tamarind Village, ate lunch in the shade of the Crazy Horse’s ears, and made lots of noise with group games throughout the day.

Many thanks to Concordian International School for an outstanding program.  It was a pleasure for the CMRCA instructors to work with such big and brave explorers!  We look forward to seeing you again next year.  Climb ON!

Today’s announcement by the US State Department is a positive change for Thailand.  Now is the time to take advantage of great hotel rates and fantastic fun and adventures with CMRCA.  Contact us to plan your summer adventure experience today!

Are you ready to take education out of the classroom and into a new world of inspiration and adventure?  Come and visit CMRCA at the Wonderful Thailand trade show May 20 – 23 in Bangkok!  CMRCA specializes in providing customized, high-impact outdoor adventure and global leadership programs throughout Asia.  Tell us what your school or group is looking for, and we will work with you to design programs that are outstanding, affordable, and unique.

Whether it’s a fun, social day of rock climbing for the senior class or a week-long expedition focusing on community involvement and cultural exchange, we guarantee that we will exceed your expectations.  Email denali@thailandclimbing.com to set up an appointment, or just swing by booth C173 (near the bouldering wall) and say hello!

See you at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center:

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The monkey, dog, and elephant families of Kardinia International School explored Crazy Horse Buttress inside and out with CMRCA.  From taking their first steps on a vertical wall to learning about cave geology first-hand, from belaying and encouraging each other on climbs to rappelling 55 meters into a massive cave, it was an unforgettable day of fun adventure!

The CMRCA instructors loved watching these students take the lead and step into the growth zone, supporting each other along the way.  Khop khun kha and khop khun krap, Kardinia… we look foward to seeing you again soon!  Climb on.

Posted by: Denali Barron

High fives all around for the Canadian International School of Singapore students, who created an OUSTANDING day out on the rocks!  The CMRCA staff loved working with such energetic young adults.  We were impressed by how well you supported each other as you tackled the challenges of climbing, rappelling, and cave exploration.  Thank you for coming to Chiang Mai!

The Thai political protests which have been so much in the news are localized to a few areas in Bangkok.  Travel to Chiang Mai is as safe and rewarding as it has always been.  We are all hoping that national politics will stabalize soon.  However, we also want to assure travelers that there is no reason to avoid Chiang Mai in the coming months.  Thanks again to CIS for an amazing day!  Climb on.

We took a break for lunch during our monthly staff meeting, and rushed off to the local market to pick up some food to go.  As the 15 of us ate, we realized just how much plastic, paper, wood, and rubber waste had come along with our food.

Recognizing a “teachable moment,” we gathered all the trash and measured it.  Our 15-person lunch generated an astounding 55 rubber bands, 12 paper wrappers, 56 small plastic bags, 9 large plastic bags, 7 styrofoam boxes, and 37 wooden sticks.  With nearly 66,000,000 people in living in Thailand at the last estimate (CiA World Factbook), those numbers quickly become staggering.  Shopping sustainably in Thailand is an uphill battle!  As if it was a tricky rappel or a wilderness first aid situation, we recognized the challenge and made a plan.

Next month we will buy the exact same lunch during our staff meeting.  Our goal is to reduce the waste generated by that one meal down to the 37 wooden sticks (which we can’t control).  A CMRCA Environmental Responsibilty Task Force has been appointed to measure and reduce our company footprint, starting with the way we shop.  We hope the whole community will help us stay mindful and reduce the amount of waste we generate.  Change begins with awareness — let’s get after it!

A group of amazing students from the Al Khor International School traveled all the way from Doha, Qatar to experience northern Thailand.  Though many had never been rock climbing or rappelling before, these 5th-8th graders took the lead and created an incredible day of fun outdoor adventuring at Crazy Horse Buttress!  The CMRCA staff was impressed by everyone’s bravery, persistence, and willingness to explore outside your comfort zones.  Thanks also for teaching us a few words of Arabic!

We had a terrific day and look forward to working with Al Khor International School again soon.

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