Ashoka
Claudiu Miu is the president of Climb Again, an NGO that aims to provide children and young people with special needs a chance to a normal life. Claudiu is a multinational and Balkan climbing champion. In 2009 and 2010 he won the World Cup in Munich and was nominated as the best Romanian climber.
“Climbing is a sport that has the potential to completely change the lives of children and young people with special needs. So far, approximately 200 children with visual, hearing, motor, or autism spectrum disorders have benefited from our programs. These children gain confidence and realize that they are able to do things that seemed impossible. The fact that they manage to climb is a great achievement and a strong incentive for them to persevere in life - to study, to take a job ”
Addressed issues: Community inclusion; an inclusive environment for people with deficiencies
Main challenges in his work: Financial and infrastructure challenges
Since 2014, Climb Again has organized free climbing sessions, physiotherapy, and psychological counseling for young people with disabilities: visual impairment, hearing impairment, autism spectrum disorder, and neuromotor disorders. In 2018, the Climb Again Center was founded - the first climbing therapy center for children and young people with disabilities in Romania.
Climb Again managed to create partnerships with several schools in Bucharest, where they installed mobile climbing towers for visually impaired children. Thanks to the sports club, the discipline of para climbing (climbing practiced by people with disabilities) was officially recognized by the Romanian Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (FRAE). Climb Again also organizes a sports festival with the goal of including visually impaired young people.