Growing Up Boulder is a “child- and youth-friendly city initiative” that began in the spring of 2009 as a partnership between the University of Colorado, the City of Boulder, the Boulder Valley School District, former State Senator Dorothy Rupert, local non-profits and businesses, and children and youth from ages 0-18. Child- and youth-friendly cities are locales in which children’s rights are reflected in local policies, laws, programs and budgets. These cities work to realize children’s rights as outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Our vision is to make Boulder an exemplary child- and youth-friendly city. We accomplish this through many diverse partnerships and supporters.
Civic Area Redesign. Growing Up Boulder has been working with approximately 150 young people and city planners to re-envision the civic area in the heart of Boulder. Some of this work was presented at the 4th International Children, Youth and Families Conference in San Diego, January 12-15, 2015, where nearly 200 people attended the conference from 33 countries. Click on the button to see the presentations slides. Click here to see more of GUB's work on the Civic Area.
Great, Green Neighborhoods. GUB Program Coordinators Mara Mintzer and Tori Derr and ENVD students Grayson O'Roark, Ivan Patino and Emily Tarantini presented the results of the "Great, Green Neighborhoods" Project in order to inform Boulder's Comprehensive Housing Strategy. The year long project began with GUB outreach to 75 Whittier Elementary and 15 Boulder High School students and then segued into Michael Tavel and David Kahn's ENVD praxis last semester. More than 35 city staff and decision-makers attended the presentation from the Boulder's planning board, design advisory board, community planning, housing division, housing authority, and from local non-profits. Click on the buttons to see the report and presentations slides.
Child in the City Conference. Tori Derr and Mara Mintzer each presented aspects of Growing Up Boulder's work at the Child in the City Conference in Odense, Denmark on September 29-October 1. Organized by the European Network of Child Friendly Cities and the Child in the City Foundation, the conference brought together delegates from more than 35 countries to share research and best practices in creating model child-friendly cities. Learn more about the 2014 Child in the City Conference in Odense, Denmark
Horizons K-8 Celebrates!! On September 18, Horizons K-8, the City of Boulder Parks and Recreation, Growing Up Boulder, Great Outdoors Colorado, and CU's Program in Environmental Design celebrated the opening of the playground that was a result of a participatory planning project. See news of the celebration here or the project's website here.
