Looking back on the impact of our past school year of programming at Cottonwood Institute (August 2023-July 2024), we are overwhelmed by the life-changing experiences that were created for over 530 students. Across 12 Program Partners, 29 Programs were delivered where Instructors and students learned how to navigate the challenges of pushing themselves out of their comfort zones together. From epic Gaga Ball tournaments and Backcountry Cookoffs to night hikes and stargazing, with over 100 days in the field, there was no shortage of magical moments.

Sitting around a campfire, looking at the sleepy and smiling faces of a group of students who are belly-laughing as they reflect on the last 5 days that they just spent together, it is hard to ignore how right that this feels. How right it feels to lose track of time as you play outside in nature. How right it feels to get to know the people around you so deeply. How right it feels to give this opportunity to as many students as possible. There is magic in trips like these and students today desperately need this break from technology, screens, and the stresses of daily life in the technological age.

“CAP class is the only class I’ve ever been excited about, and I feel like I’ve learned a lot of important things that I will actually use and apply to my life.” – Fall 2023 AXL Student

The nearly 39,000 hours of program contact time with students was not solely spent exploring the outdoors. Each Cottonwood Institute program includes some form of environmental conservation or stewardship project as well, aka the Action Project. In CAP Classes, students design and implement these Action Projects based on their passions and interests, created with the goal in mind of making their communities, the environment, and the world a better place. During programs like our summer Watershed Project trips, students from partner organizations Lincoln Hills Cares and Rise Up Academy traveled to Leadville, CO where, at the end of a week of fly fishing, macroinvertebrate searching, and white water rafting, students practiced the idea of “reciprocity” as they gave back to the land they spent the previous week getting to know, performing reclamation and revegetation of pieces of mined lands from nearby Climax Mine.

Other service projects focused on community education and people together. The 4th Annual Cohort of the Changemakers Outdoors Leadership Corps (COLC) brought together 57 community members at Ollin Farms for a day-long Ancestral Skills Gathering. Community members of all ages came together to sit in circles and learned skills ranging from spoon carving to creating art with natural dyes to making bow drill fires.

“My Cottonwood Institute program has helped me grow as a person. I’ve met so many people who’ve made lasting impacts on me, and learned so many skills for working with other people and being outside. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without Changemakers.” – CAP Alumni & Changemaker Student

None of this would be possible, however, without an incredible ecosystem of community, and our ongoing relationships with program partners reflects that. At New Vista High School in Boulder, Cottonwood’s longest standing partner, students rang in the 20th anniversary of partnership with an unforgettable year of learning animal tracks, building shelters, and serving their community. At both Angevine Middle School and Centaurus High School of Lafayette, 7 years of partnership was celebrated, with a combined 84 students served and 7,584 Program Contact hours. At AXL Academy in Aurora, 146 students were served this previous year alone, a huge feat for the 8th year of this partnership. At Casa De La Esperanza in Longmont, during year 13 together, children along with their families participated in fishing clinics, outdoor skill-building workshops, and both teen and whole family camping trips during a new program we co-created called the Casa Familias Unidas de la Naturlaeza (FUN) Program.

We are so grateful to everyone who helped make our world a better place by connecting more students with the outdoors. Without the generosity of our community of donors, sponsors, and partners, none of these moments of magic would be possible. Please check out our Sponsors & Partners page and consider becoming a monthly donor to help invest in our students, programs, and long-term sustainability and success!

If our mission resonates with you, please help Cottonwood celebrate its 20th Birthday by making a donation today or bidding on one of our amazing auction items!