The Chaffee County Youth Alliance (CCYA) is pleased to announce the distribution of competitive grant awards to 10 community projects through their seventh annual mini-grant process. More than $18,000 in grant funding was awarded to projects and programs that align with the principles of Positive Youth Development. These projects will also increase community capacity to engage with and support youth across Chaffee County. 

Positive Youth Development (PYD) encompasses programs, projects, and approaches to working with youth that are inclusive, collaborative, strengths-based, and sustainable. PYD approaches give young people the skills and opportunities to learn and grow, and the organizations awarded funding are those that genuinely engage youth as partners in their work.  

CCYA awarded mini-grants to the following organizations and projects:

  • Achieve, Inc – Peers With a Purpose youth driven outreach and mentorship: This initiative will establish a paid Youth Outreach Coordinator position to help increase access to programs that provide paid work experience and social-emotional skill building for individuals with neurodivergencies and mental health challenges.
  • The Alliance – LGBTQ+ Youth Social Hours: This initiative fosters a sense of belonging for LGBTQ+ youth and empowers them to express themselves authentically, learn new talents, and connect with role models from their community. A youth leader will coordinate the program’s development and activities. 
  • Ark Valley High Rollers – Spring Training Junior Session: This initiative engages 11-18 year old youth skaters to plan and present a training session to their peers at the team’s spring training to support a greater sense of ownership and empowerment, and to inspire younger participants to engage more and take on leadership roles. 
  • Boys and Girls Club of Chaffee County – Connecting the Ages intergenerational programming: This program will bring Boys and Girls Club kids and older adults together through monthly visits to Columbine Manor, and will also partner with Starpoint and the Intergenerational Task Force to identify isolated community members for monthly interactions with Club kids. 
  • CO TINTS – 2025 Juneteenth Celebration: This project will fund 5 youth interns to coordinate and produce a radio show, theatrical presentation, community talkbacks, and potlucks for the Chaffee County Juneteenth Celebration, happening June 14-16, 2025.
  • elevateHER – leadHERship Backpacking Expedition: This program involves a youth-created two-day backpacking trip in the Sawatch Range, with 12 high school leadHERship participants designing their route, creating a group menu, and building their daily schedule. 
  • Guidestone – Growing the Future youth internship: This project provides paid opportunities for young people to facilitate and lead youth programming in many summer education programs that keep youth involved in the local food movement.
  • Salida Theater Project – Youth internship program: This program will provide paid internships that give young people leadership positions in Salida Theater Project productions to better keep youth involved and learning new skills with experienced theater artists.
  • Snowcaps Theatre – Chaffee County youth theater production of Aladdin JR: This program will present a fully youth-comprised cast and crew of Aladdin JR at the Steamplant on August 15th, 16th, and 17th. The youth directors and stage manager in this production will work together to schedule events, cast the show, create stage movements, and design sets for the production.
  • Sparkle Hangouts – 4-H Health Rocks! Summer Skills Workshops: This project will fund 4-H youth to lead/co-facilitate a healthy lifestyles and vaping prevention workshop for their peers twice a week, and to plan social recreation activity for 6th-9th grade youth throughout the summer.

Each of these grantees center PYD principles within their work, supporting the development of the inherent strengths and positive potential for youth participating in their programs. CCYA is able to invest in and distribute mini-grants each year through support from Communities Organizing for Prevention, a program of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).

If you would like to learn more about the Chaffee County Youth Alliance, please contact CCYA Facilitator Hannah Guilford at hguilford@chaffeecounty.org.

Chaffee County Youth Alliance (CCYA), the local Communities That Care (CTC) coalition, is a collaborative program of Chaffee County Family & Youth Initiatives (FYI) housed within Chaffee County Department of Human Services. CTC is an evidence-based prevention approach aimed at helping communities prevent problem health behaviors for youth before they develop, including the use of alcohol, tobacco and other substances.

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