Bobby SmithDr. Del Rosso

PBRL342112/8/19

Free Access Facilities Make Differences In Our Communities

Introduction to Memphis Rox

Memphis Rox combined with One Family Memphis has worked in the community of

Memphis to bring a message of healing and hope. They are able to do this through offering their

state-of-the-art climbing facilities to the public at the cost of a what-you-can-pay membership or

donation. The influence and infrastructure of this organization is framed around growing strong

relations amongst all communities regardless of their cultural, racial, ethnic and socio-economic

backgrounds. These different elements make up the family and mission of Memphis Rox.

Issue – Lack of Free Access

The availability of free access leisure facilities is shaping and changing communities

positively all over the world. It might not be the first issue on everyone’s mind but if more

people were working towards this, there could be changes the societies that make up the United

States. One of the organizations working to do diligently towards this goal in their own

community is Memphis Rox. In an interview shortly after opening, Zack Rogers, Memphis

Rox’s director of administration, said “we’re bringing something new, but using it as a bridge to

build relationships, and as a way to connect people from all walks of life” (Levy, 2018). This

proves to be true in all that the organization has accomplished since they were founded in 2018.

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Their impacts stretch from providing the community with volunteer hours, serving meals

and even offering mentorships to students (“Why Support Memphis”). The responsibility of

operation for these facilities is on our own people and our government. If we were to invest in

creating these facilities with pay-what-you-can policies like Memphis Rox or even free access

like some in the UK, we could start benefiting ourselves. These benefits could stretch further

than in our own community and start even shaping how we address physical wellness and mental

health. I personally think that we should start moving towards trying to build these facilities in

our own communities. I think that it’s very important for us to start being proactive about what

we want our communities to look like 10 to 20 years from now.

Cost free facilities can change the whole demeanor from a neighborhood to an entire city.

As you’ll see through the statistical analysis, there are communities of individuals making

achievements that would’ve been impossible without these organizations. Our society is relying

on us to push for these types of opportunities for everyone. It might not be the first issue on

everyone’s mind but it’s a conversation that we need to start taking more seriously.

Statistical Analysis

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The impact of these free access facilities isn’t limited to the enhancement of community

moral but can stretch to the physical components of societies. In a study in the UK, a group

investigated the influences made by making leisure facilities universally free to the public. There

was a significant rise in public participation within gym activities which is seen in the data

represented above. Even if some of the percentages might not be as high as the others, there was

an obvious rise in the amount of population participation in some form of recreation. If we can

start trying this in our own communities, we might even see the shift start happening there.

In light of their recent founding in 2018, there hasn’t been significant research into the

physical benefits of Memphis Rox on the community. The data that does exist represents the

impacts of the organization everywhere from job creation to volunteer hours to even hosting

national climbing competitions. These observations show how much these free cost facilities can

and have changed the city. But we don’t only need to think about the individual effects that this

facility has had but the community impact. Without the creation of this organization, there would

be a loss of over three thousand volunteer hours served by people in our community.

Overall, there is no room to deny that free access organizations are not making an impact

in their community. It’s not something that can be measured in a limited format. But while it

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may prove to more difficult to show this information it doesn’t prove that these leisure facilities

aren’t shaping their communities. The lack of statistical data in all areas on these issues doesn’t

take away from the observations and statistics that have been taken in the graphs above.

How We Take Action

It’s time to start taking action on this issue now. The most important way that we can

start doing this is through advocacy and communication. If we start speaking up to our

government leaders about how important these facilities could be for future generations, it could

change the conversation. These could serve as hubs or like a “community outreach center” as

Roger says for neighborhoods to whole cities like Memphis Rox (Levy, 2018). We should start

petitioning and planning for these facilities to be brought to our towns and communities. But we

have to have reasons why in order to be effective with our approach.

It’s important to start developing the conversation about what opportunity does for a

society. In the data shown in the statistical analysis, we can see that if we allot opportunities for

our community to grow that people will take them. It might not be the entire population but if we

are impacting over half of them that’s a start. The best way to take action would be to start

attending meetings with your community leaders with a list of benefits of what a facility like

Memphis Rox could bring to your city. It doesn’t necessarily have to be fixated around rock-

climbing or be up to state-of-the-art standards. A project can start with a piece of paper and

eventually grow into something bigger than itself.

How do you begin this process? First, start by looking at what needs to be changed. There

could be areas in town that might be affected by poverty or environmental devastation. Make

your community leaders see the impact that an investment could have on the families in that

community. Start an online petition and take it to your local mayor. Make posters and hang them

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around your town square with information about what you want to see change. There are many

pieces to complete this puzzle, but it all depends on what you do with them and how you decide

to put them to use.

Citations

(n.d.). Why Support Memphis Rox. Retrieved December 9, 2019, from

---------------------------------------https://www.memphisrox.org/ways-to-give/.

Higgerson, J., Halliday, E., Ortiz-Nunez, A., Brown, R., & Barr, B. (2018). Impact of free access

-------to leisure facilities and community outreach on inequalities in physical activity: a

quasi------------experimental study. Journal of epidemiology and community health, 72(3), 252–

258. --------------doi:10.1136/jech-2017-209882

Levy, M. (2018, May 17). Memphis Rox Charts New Territory as a Non-Profit, Pay-What-

You---------Can Climbing Gym. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2019, from

----------------------------------------https://rockandice.com/climbing-news/memphis-rox-charts-

new-territory-non-profit-gym/.