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New Vista High School CAP Class Tackles Wildfire Preparedness

New Vista High School CAP Class Ignites Action! Written by CAP Instructor Sadie Norton. Wildfire Preparedness: Is Your Home Ready? Take the Test! The Prelude: This quarter’s CAP Class had quite the learning journey this Spring. Throughout the quarter, we spent time connecting to nature, gaining an appreciation for the beauty in the world around… Read more »

A Changemaker student practices ancestral skills at the ancestral skills gathering at Ollin Farms

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Changemakers Spark Ancestral Skills Revival: Reconnecting Community Through Fire, Shelter & Crafts

Students Lead Frigid-Weather Gathering, Fostering Sustainability & Connection to Heritage. Written by Associate Director and Senior Instructor Chelsea Tossing. In a world increasingly dominated by technology, our Changemaker students have been craving to reconnect themselves and their community with ancestral skills. This past weekend, our Changemaker Outdoor Leadership Program welcomed 40 eager members of the… Read more »

An Angevine Middle School student measures lumber to help build a Gaga Ball pit at their school

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Angevine Middle School Students go Gaga for Gaga Ball

Students at Angevine Middle School take action to promote outdoor play at their school. Written by CAP Instructor Erin Angel. Everyone who plays Gaga Ball loves Gaga Ball! After spending hours playing the game during our fall campout at Cheley Outpost Camp, the Angevine Middle School CAP Outdoor Class decided to share this fun game… Read more »

AXL student picking up trash

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AXL Academy’s Trash Roundup

Tires, bottles, and buckets are some of the things AXL Academy students cleaned up! Written by Cottonwood Field Instructor Eeland Stribling As part of their CAP Action Project, AXL Academy students went looking for places to clean up near their school. The community does a great job at keeping parks and trails clean, and students… Read more »

Jessie on the Changemakers backpacking trip in Dominguez Canyon

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Changemakers 22-23 Year in Review

Cottonwood Institute works closely with our school and community partners to make sure that our programs meet a real community need and values student voices. Now entering its third year, the Changemaker Program engages CAP class alums through a yearlong leadership program. In 2021, students identified relationship building as our goal in response to the… Read more »

Changemakers show off their newly screenprinted shirts!

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The Environmental Impacts of Fashion

Changemakers spend their spring overnight exploring the environmental impacts of fashion and screenprinting their own t-shirts. Written by Instructor Chelsea Tossing. Escrito en español más abajo. Cheap t-shirts may seem like a steal, but do you know what your clothes really cost? Changemakers set out on our spring overnight trip to learn more about the… Read more »

A Centaurus high school student sets up a tent in the school yard

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Should you drink tap or bottled water?

Written by CAP Instructor Erin Angel. Escrito en español más abajo. The students in the Centaurus High School Fall 2022 CAP class are a very diverse group. About ¾ of the students are newcomers to the United States, bringing with them rich and varied experiences. As we studied water in Colorado, we took some time… Read more »

Angevine students learning from Angie at Calwood.

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Angevine students create emergency go bags

February 2023 Update: Angevine CAP student Margot dropped off the go bags to Sister Carmen Community Center, an organization that provides basic needs and help to residents of East Boulder County. There were about 40 bags in all, with essential materials like headlamps, first aid kits, phone chargers, and canned food. Great going, team! Written… Read more »

A group of Changemakers pose in fall colors while planting willows

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Changemakers plant willows in the Cameron Peak burn area

Changemakers planted willows with Wildlands Restoration Volunteers in an area that had been affected by the Cameron Peak wildfire. Written by CAP Instructor Erin Angel. Escrito en español más abajo.  Changemakers began our first overnight of the 2022-23 season with service to the environment. We joined Wildlands Restoration Volunteers in replanting willows in an area… Read more »