EXPAND at the Boulder Reservoir
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For the first time this year, Growing Up Boulder worked with participants of Expand — Boulder’s Parks and Recreation program for adults and youth with disabilities. On a soggy Friday in May, GUB and Expand took a group of approximately 15 young people and their peer mentors to Boulder Reservoir’s south side, a site being planned for future redevelopment. The engagement process took the form of a scavenger hunt. The fact that the scavenger hunt was an active, sensory, participatory challenge (plus prize!) worked very well for these participants. Participants and their helpers were asked to find and take photos of things such as a nice place to sit, something that looks or smells yucky, and a place that was hard to walk to.
The gallery below shows the feedback EXPAND participants provided to specific prompts in their treasure hunt. Favorite and fun places were at the waters edge, the grill, and jet skis. Least favorite places and places to change were those that they felt were not comfortable or aesthetically pleasing, such as the snack deck, propane tanks, old oil drums, and polluted water. Some of the most favored places (such as the sand, water's edge and jet skis) were the hardest to get to whereas the pavilion was easy to get to but not very many people's favorite. |
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A Favorite Place, A Nice Place to Play & Something Fun
Participant explorations of the area revealed their desire to experience boats, jet skis, and play in the sand.
A Least Favorite Place
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Something Yucky or Dirty
Participants did not like mud, potholes, the dark and smelly bathrooms, or the gray and dingy Snack Deck building.
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Something You Want to Change
Something Hard to Get To
Despite being hard to walk on, the gradual slope of the beach actually serves as a great point of accessible access to the water.
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Something Easy to Get To
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