The Greenway Foundation

Revitalizing Rivers. Reconnecting Communities.

GLO Projects

High Line Canal Restoration Project

Stretching from Bible Park to Green Valley Ranch is the Northeast High Line Canal, a waterway and trail perfect for anything from long-distance biking to ambient walks. GLO is now working with the High Line Canal Conservancy to renovate the High Line Canal to fit the unique identity of each of the neighborhoods it passes through.

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Grassroots Leadership Opportunities Projects

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GLO & Greenway

Grassroots Leadership Opportunities began as small groups of schoolmates, passionate for their communities and intrigued by public works projects nearby. The Greenway Foundation recognized GLO’s mission to connect to communities through youth shares the same roots as Greenway’s mission to revitalize rivers and reconnect communities.

Explore GLO’s History. Together, our Future is Limitless.

History

Even before GLO was a part of The Greenway Foundation, its members were transforming Colorado communities through grassroots, youth-driven efforts. These organizations, Five Points Youth Ambassadors and No Name Youth Ambassadors, form the foundation of GLO.

The Five Point Youth Ambassadors

Uniting Communities through Public Spaces

The Five Points Youth Ambassadors (FPYA) is a community outreach program led by the youth of tomorrow. Representing the Five Points community of Denver, FPYA led and designed a project to renovate the St. Charles Place Park with over $1 million raised from local donors and the City of Denver. With new park equipment, two natural play areas, a three-story mural, an exercise course, and renovation of the parking areas, the FPYA completely transformed a rundown area into a thriving community center. Following the project’s completion in 2021, the FPYA were eager to spread their knowledge to youth in other neighborhoods.

2017
The Beginning of the FPYA
A group of youth gathered at the St. Charles Recreation Center to gauge their interest in meeting with their new neighbors in Industry RiNo Station to discuss improvements to the St. Charles Place Park. Sloane Bullecks with Denver Parks and Recreation and Susan Brown with Valerian landscape architects formed a...
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Team Finalization and Skills Development
Team Finalization and Skills Development
The core group of the FPYA was solidified near the end of 2017. Over time, the team learned the fundamentals of public speaking, professional meetings, and gauging ideas for community engagement from their leaders and mentors.
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2018
The First Community Event
The First Community Event
After being tasked with community outreach ranging from social media posts to door-to-door outreach, the FPYA led their first community outreach meeting in Industry RiNo Station and had an audience of over 100 community members, each one advocating for changes they sought for the park and parking lot. The FPYA...
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Park Design Development
Park Design Development
Taking the data gathered from their first community meeting, the FPYA began to formulate the groundwork for what the new St. Charles Place Park and the connection to Industry RiNo Station would look like. During this period the Ambassadors learned how to lead design development meetings, evaluate budgets, and make...
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Park Finalization
FPYA works closely with many companies to make the community’s visions a reality. They worked with Iron Horse Architects to design the park entry ways. Michael Ford and Pioneer Landscape Centers invited the Ambassadors to select the materials used for pathways and natural play components within the new park. The...
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The Second Community Event
After taking all the gathered data from the community and collaborating with all design and construction experts, it was time to unveil the design renderings of the new park to the neighborhood. This was done in the FPYA’s second community event, held in the St. Charles Place Park, as a...
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Fundraising for Construction
The last stage needed to complete the desired park for the community was raising the funds necessary for construction. This would lead to the team’s next chapter in planning fundraisers. The FPYA found great success, not only with finding donors, but creating partnerships with multiple groups as they too began...
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2019
The Finish Line
Even with several private donations to the project, there was still a shortfall. It was determined that if Pioneer Landscape Centers donated the landscaping materials, they would be close to their fundraising goal of $150,000. Since giving up wasn’t an option, the FPYA organized community “build days” and gathered volunteers...
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2021
ASLA Colorado Merit Award
The FPYA was recognized at the American Society of Landscape Architects’ annual awards. They won in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion category.
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New Beginnings
The FPYA began training the NNYA during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. They are now working as consultants with the Grassroot Leadership Opportunities Ambassadors Program (GLO) to train new Ambassadors in Green Valley Ranch for the High Line Canal Conservancy.
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Presentations

Colorado Association of Storm
and Floodplain Managers

Conference in Crested Butte

Greater Greener Conference

The No Name Youth Ambassadors

Bringing Innovation to Public Works – One Individual at a Time

Determined to continue the success of the FPYA and youth advocacy within communities, Susan Brown, a consultant for Mile High Flood District (MHFD), formed a new group of Youth Ambassadors. The No Name Youth Ambassadors (NNYA) is a youth-run organization, working with professional designers to bring new perspectives to modern project design and flood mitigation within their community. Representing the Aurora community on the Unnamed Creek Restoration Project, the NNYA assisted with the design of many structural reforms, including adding trash receptacles in high use areas around the creek, rerouting senseless and/or dangerous sidewalks, and constructing a naturally resourced amphitheater! With construction planned to start at the end of 2023, the NNYA has now moved towards youth advocacy in future community projects.

2021
Susan Brown contacts a new group of youth
Following the success of the Five Point Youth Ambassadors begged the question of whether youth advocacy could be sustainable. The opportunity arose to revive and restore the Unnamed Creek in Aurora. Thus, the Unnamed Creek Restoration Project began. Susan contacted adjacent schools, Eaglecrest High School, Thunder Ridge Middle School, and...
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The Recruitment Process Begins
The Sun brothers began recruiting at various schools in the area through school announcements, social media posts, and word of mouth. Eventually, they gathered 20 individuals who were interested in the Youth Ambassador opportunity. These individuals submitted applications and met on-site to learn more about the project and team.
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Ambassador Interviews
During the first two weeks of June, Norris and Kris held online interviews for all applicants. Being teenagers, this was an exciting new experience for them! But with guidance from their mentors, and the FPYA, the interview process went smoothly.
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Establishing the NNYA
After weeks of interviews and discussion, ten unique individuals were selected to join the team based on their potential to enhance the project, specific skills and talents, as well as their well-versed representation of the adjacent community. As a group, they officially established themselves as the No Name Youth Ambassadors.
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The NNYA Meets the FPYA
Starting a team during COVID posed some challenges, but eventually, they were able to finally meet with the FPYA on-site. This marked the beginning of their community outreach journey.
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The Work Begins
The NNYA began weekly meetings online to discuss the changes they thought would be most beneficial for their community. Ambitious, they sought to create an environment that catered to all residents, with numerous ideas to revitalize Unnamed Creek.
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2022
The Beginning of Community Outreach Material
After establishing the foundation for our team and collaborating with professionals on the Unnamed Creek restoration designs, the NNYA began community outreach for the project. Eventually, they developed the first rendition of outreach material for door-to-door outreach.
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The NNYA’s First Community Outreach Effort
With the development of our outreach material, members of the NNYA began their first outreach attempt by reaching out to the immediately impacted households in the community. While this attempt received little reception, it laid the foundation for future successful outreach efforts.
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The NNYA Instagram Goes Public
The NNYA used their social media knowledge to promote the team, the project, and their aspiration. No Name Youth Ambassadors (@nnya_co) | Instagram
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The NNYA Meets the Project Professionals
After around a year of online communication between the NNYA and project professionals, they finally met in person to present design concept drafts.
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The NNYA’s Second Community Outreach Effort
After months of preparation, The NNYA completed a full canvassing project, reaching over 500 households. Their outreach director, Sarah Rich, organized pairs and developed neighborhood routes. They created additional outreach material and pitches to summarize their group and the project, all leading to a successful community outreach effort.
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The NNYA Website Goes Public
After much discussion about public presence, Janie, the NNYA design director, began the creation of the NNYA website. While it was her first experience with website design, Janie’s design knowledge and willingness to learn led to a successful website that highlights all aspects of the team, project, and goals. Check...
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The NNYA meets with Thunder Ridge Middle School Administration
To involve adjacent schools in their community outreach, Norris met with members of the Thunder Ridge Middle School Administration, presenting the team and project. From this point, the schools became close partners in community outreach efforts.
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The NNYA YouTube Channel Goes Public
In an effort to continue NNYA’s public presence, Preston, the NNYA media production director, began developing a series of videos that provided insight into the team, its members, and the project. Each video embodied the personality of the Ambassadors and focused on providing meaningful information about their work. These videos...
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The NNYA Attends Thunder Ridge Middle School’s Annual Pancake Breakfast
Throughout the NNYA’s journey, Brandon and Gibson, the NNYA school communications coordinators, built close relations with the schools adjacent to the project, including Thunder Ridge Middle School. Because of this, the NNYA was invited to an annual community event, which allowed them to expand their presence in the community by...
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The NNYA Hosts a Community Trash Pick-Up
The NNYA sought to involve the community in aspects of the project. So they invited the community to join in on a large trash pick-up day for the Unnamed Creek. They reached a good audience and recruited several students from nearby schools. Together they were able to collect and remove...
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2023
The NNYA Presents at the Mile High Flood District Staff Meeting
After a year and a half of collaboration, the NNYA was invited to present at the Mile High Flood District’s monthly staff meeting, discussing the team, project, and future. This was the NNYA’s first taste of public speaking, which was a valuable learning experience for all.
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The NNYA prepares for its Community Outreach Meeting
The NNYA’s next Community Outreach Meeting was quickly approaching. Despite multiple delays due to weather, timing, and incomplete designs, the NNYA stepped forward to finalize planning the event through dozens of hours of coordination. They set the venue on-site at Eaglecrest High School, filled it with local performances and foods,...
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The NNYA Hosts its Community Outreach Meeting
The team came together with everyone, from the local community to the design team, to celebrate the finale of the Unnamed Creek Restoration Project designs. Through an open-house event and three presentations, they hosted an event built by the community, for the community, and with the community. In total, there...
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The NNYA Presents at the Mile High Flood District Annual Symposium
The ultimate culmination of two years of effort, the NNYA walked up past an optimistic crowd of over 600 professionals, along the illuminated presentation screens, and onto the blue backlit stage of the Mile High Flood District’s Annual Symposium. Through a 20-minute presentation with mentors, Susan Brown and Charlie Pajares,...
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