San Luis Valley Generation Wild and its work to get kids outdoors was rewarded with another grant from Great Outdoors Colorado. This one will be to help school children in Alamosa explore the outdoors.
The SLV Generation Wild program received $350,000 in GOCO funding to help it engage with Alamosa students, who shifted to a four-day academic week schedule. The award was part of GOCO’s statewide Generation Wild program launched in 2015 to get kids and their families outdoors.
“SLVGW partners work together to create outdoor opportunities and connections for all people in the San Luis Valley. With this funding, partners will deepen their relationships with families and parents, increase visibility and reach for partners, and develop an outdoor workforce pipeline for youth,” GOCO said in announcing the grant funding.
SLVGW partners will use this funding to offer new Friday programming and support staff capacity for new and existing work. Partners will continue providing high-quality outdoor educational programs for youth in the SLV, and ensure skill-building and professional advancement opportunities for youth to explore outdoor career paths.
In addition, the community will welcome two new partners: the Alamosa Bicycle Coalition and Southwest Conservation Corps Los Valles.
“ABC’s bike programming for kids has really taken off this year. More kids than ever are participating in our bike rides, rodeos, and lessons. It is so fun to see kids having a blast while unknowingly gaining important skills and safety knowledge,” said Alamosa Bicycle Coalition Executive Director Grantley Showalter. “The amount of joy a bike can bring to a kid always blows me away. Alamosa Bicycle Coalition is looking forward to getting more kids outside next year and joining the SLV GenWild Coalition!”