1. Empowering the Next Generation

2. Mesa Land Trust helped direct a multi year project that gets youth outdoors, inspires personal ownership of outdoor spaces in their community, and develops community leaders in the outdoors
Funded by Great Outdoors Colorado, Inspire Initiative
Collaborative partnership with the City of Grand Junction, Riverside Educational Center, Colorado Parks & Wildlife, and 7 other partners
Community Driven, Youth Directed – Youth Advisory Coalition

3. Presenters Libby Collins: Mesa Land Trust, Project Manager
Linda Strand: GOCO Board Member
Joy Hudak: Riverside Educational Center, Executive Director
Gabi Martinez, GOCO Inspire High School Youth Advisory Coalition member
Naomi Morales, GOCO Inspire High School Youth Advisory Coalition member
Gabriel Martinez, GOCO Inspire High School Youth Advisory Coalition member

5. Community and Leadership Development
Riverside community
After school tutoring programs K-12
After school outdoor enrichment
Getting youth to lead

6. Outdoor Programs and Pathways
Naomi talks about how outdoor enrichment programs lead to leadership and pathways opportunities

7. Improving Riverside’s access to the outdoors and the impact on community
Gabi & Gabriel

8. Capacity and Mission Concerns
Three factors that allowed the Mesa Land Trust to commit:
GOCO funding
Executive Director support
Working with strategic partners (City of Grand Junction, REC, Mesa County Health)
Mission drift: Always bring the message back to conservation
Capacity: partnering with other service organizations
Funding: New opportunities for funding youth related programs

9. Great Outcomes Leadership Development in the outdoors
Stories Make Conservation Relevant
Kids
Public Health
Community
Public Lands
Outdoor Recreation and Economic Impact