See how one student’s passion for the outdoors and community blossomed into a leadership role, inspiring others and shaping our organization. Written by Associate Director & Senior Instructor Chelsea Tossing. One of our students, Jesse, first joined our school-based CAP Class as a freshman in high school during COVID; even online, it was obvious how… Read more »
We recently caught up with Coral Amayi, who took one of our original Community Adventure Programs (CAP Class) at New Vista High School 20 years ago back in 2004 with Ford Church, our Founder and Executive Director How have you used the skills you learned in CAP Class in your career today? I have absolutely… Read more »
We recently caught up with Cottonwood Institute alum Malcolm Marshall, who was involved with CI at New Vista High School until he graduated in 2012. It’s incredible to hear about the longterm impact of our programs, and what our former students are up to! You can read more Alumni Spotlights here. What CI program(s) did… Read more »
Written by Program Relationships Manager Teagan Papke. “Almost 20 years later, I have been getting hit hard with the deep realization of how important the lessons that I learned through the Community Adventure Program (CAP) really were. I realize now how so many humans really don’t understand the ideas of basic survival, Leave No Trace,… Read more »
Escrito en español más abajo. Written by Cottonwood Institute alum Kira Gilliland. Cottonwood Institute’s flagship program, the Community Adventure Program (CAP), has been at Centaurus High School in Lafayette, CO since 2017. More recently, Cottonwood created Changemakers, a high school leadership program for alumni of our Boulder County programs. The Changemakers program gives about ten… Read more »
Cottonwood Institute’s community partnerships allow us to meet thriving young professionals doing inspiring work in the fields of education, conservation, and equity. We recently caught up with Jacob Smith (he/she), a social justice community organizer, fundraiser, and international speaker. Jacob Smith is a diehard black queer feminist and abolitionist organizer fighting for a joyful and… Read more »
We love to see the Cottonwood Institute community getting recognized for the great work that they do, and we had two great examples this month! Read on for two recent news items spotlighting friends of CI, and be sure to get in touch if you have a story to share! “From a Bad Ass Teen… Read more »
How about this for a Cottonwood Institute connection? Tess Eckert took CAP at New Vista High School three times between 2007 and 2010 (tied for the all-time record, not that we’re counting). She got to learn from CI celebrities Ford Church and Paige Doughty. And after seven years in Australia, pursuing art, work, and exploration,… Read more »
One of the quintessential Cottonwood Institute experiences is learning to build a quinzhee, a simple snow shelter that can be useful in winter survival scenarios. It’s a technique Executive Director Ford Church brings from his survival school days, and one that endures as a winter field day staple (see pictures from our recent Instructor Training… Read more »
Over fifteen years, the Cottonwood Institute community has grown and spread all over the world. You never know where you’ll bump into an alum, instructor, or other friendly face. Denver, of course, is a pretty good bet—and so it was when Executive Director Ford Church bumped in to CI alum Eric Wesolowski while out and… Read more »
