The San Luis Valley Generation Wild coalition is a group of non-profits all working together to create opportunities and connections to the outdoors for all people in the San Luis Valley. The release of GOCO’s Inspire Initiative RFP in June of 2015 lit a fire among youth and family-serving stakeholders—community members, schools, non-profit organizations, municipalities, state and federal agencies
, and small businesses—in the San Luis Valley (SLV). GOCO’s focus on developing a community-driven process to address barriers for youth and families that are underserved in outdoor spaces and outdoor experiences spoke directly to the region’s needs and interests. Through inclusive dialogue, a strategy emerged to select seven regional community hubs well-positioned to serve as mobilizing points for a Valley-wide initiative: Alamosa, Antonito, Creede, Crestone, Del Norte Region, Saguache and San Luis were identified as communities that would host facilitated youth and family engagement activities during the planning period to identify appropriate ways to enhance in-town critical recreation infrastructure. An important insight emerged from SLV Inspire Coalition stakeholder meetings: the Valley has a wealth of innovative, impactful outdoor programming for youth, but impoverished communities and the dispersed geographic nature of the Valley are significant barriers to sharing resources and best practices. The Coalition will team with a Youth Initiatives Coordinator to identify and enhance existing outdoor programming for youth and families throughout the Valley and facilitate the sharing of program infrastructure, resources, and expertise to increase capacity. During the planning period, stewardship-focused organizations will work together to identify ways to adapt and customize existing programming to effectively engage more elementary, middle, and high school youth in stewardship opportunities and paid outdoor service learning. Valley-wide there is tremendous excitement and momentum currently energizing a wide variety of efforts to decrease barriers in backyard and wilderness experiences for families and youth. The SLV Inspire Coalition is a diverse group ready to meet community members at their tables to assess how, together, we can create transformational opportunities for kids to appreciate, enjoy, and take care of our great outdoors.
