Building Stronger Connections for Youth | | |
Across Western Colorado and beyond, momentum is growing to help young people thrive by putting phones aside and focusing on connection, resilience, and well-being. In this edition, we highlight innovative school cell phone policies in Ouray and Ridgway, statewide recognition of District 51’s pioneering efforts, and the encouraging news from Mesa County’s latest suicide prevention report. You’ll also read about the positive impact of our “Youth Outside and Offline” grantmaking, the ongoing expansion of the Heads Up Parenting campaign, and reflections from local leaders who remind us why acting now matters for the next generation.
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Teaming Up for Youth
AG Phil Weiser and Broncos Foundation Summit Highlights
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In July, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and the Denver Broncos Foundation hosted the 2025 Teaming Up for Youth: A Mental Health and Wellbeing Huddle. The gathering showcased innovative partnerships across Colorado that are building positive school climates, strengthening youth connections, and building youth resilience. Among the speakers was Mesa County School District 51’s Superintendent, Dr. Brian Hill, who presented the D51 Smartphone Policy Case Study together with the Colorado Education Initiative. Once again, District 51 was recognized as a pioneer in school cell phone policies in Colorado!
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Mesa County Suicide Report
Prevention in Action
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In August, Mesa County Public Health released the 2024 Mesa County Suicide Report. Jennifer Daniels, who leads the Mesa County Suicide Prevention Coalition, noted that the report not only gives us a clearer picture of suicide in our community, but “also highlights the prevention work happening across Mesa County and encourages community members to see how they can play a part in suicide prevention.” One observation in the report is that the fatality rate among youth and young adults has declined in recent years compared to the preceding decade – a sign of hope that our community is moving in the right direction. Read more about local suicide prevention efforts in this article from The Daily Sentinel.
WCCF’s Suicide Prevention and Awareness Fund has provided nearly $80,000 in grants to organizations focusing on suicide prevention and awareness in Mesa County. Grand Junction’s annual Local Jam raises money to support the fund, which will be accepting grant applications in spring 2026. To donate to the fund, click here.
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Youth Outside and Offline
Empowering Healthy Outdoor Activities and Digital Well-Being
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Last year, WCCF’s theme for Community Grants was “Youth Outside and Offline.” Fourteen organizations received grants totaling $125,000 to help youth engage in healthy outdoor activities while incorporating curricula to teach youth how to have better relationships with technology. Programs had a powerful impact on youth, illustrated by the following testimonial from Voyager Youth.
Voyager Youth integrated healthy technology use, fostered discussions on digital well-being, and emphasized skill-building during their summer adventure trips for teens. Attendees reported a strong desire to reduce overall screen time. One participant noted, “It was so nice being away from my phone for a few days – I didn’t even miss it because there was always something fun happening.”
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Promoting Balanced Connections
School District 51’s continued focus on “More Social, Less Media”
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In a recent weekly update, Superintendent Dr. Brian Hill shared highlights from discussions with student advisory groups about the impacts of social media and screen time on students. Dr. Hill shared a PSA from Smartphone Free Childhood US called “Let’s Change the Norm,” which uses humor to call out the harms of giving kids unlimited access to smartphones. This school year, School District 51 is advancing their “More Social, Less Media” policy by hosting Family Tech Nights to discuss Dr. Jean Twenge’s new book 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High Tech World and help families develop Family Tech Use Plans, like this one offered by Common Sense Media.
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Tedi Gillespie of the Western Colorado Community Foundation presented at this year’s TEDx Grand Junction event, with a talk entitled “Parenting with Purpose: Building Better Bedtimes and Brighter Tomorrows.” Weaving together personal experience with WCCF’s evolving work to support youth mental health, Tedi emphasized the importance of starting early with healthy tech habits, and that the Heads Up Parenting campaign’s “upstream” approach is intended to help children form healthy attachments to foster long-term mental health. The message is for all of us: Your phone doesn’t need you. They do.
Click here to watch the TED talk when available.
| | Activating Heads Up: Engaging Communities to Support Early Childhood Connections | | |
Western Colorado Community Foundation (WCCF) continues to bring the Heads Up Parenting campaign to life across Mesa County and neighboring communities—sparking conversations, awareness, and action around the importance of engaged, unplugged parenting during a child’s earliest years.
Through printed materials, ads, social media, and in-person presentations, WCCF is connecting with parents, caregivers, and local organizations to promote meaningful moments of connection with children ages 0–3.
After a recent presentation to SafeCare staff at Families Plus in Delta, the message clearly resonated. One participant shared,
“Thank you for the wonderful presentation you gave at our all-staff meeting. It really struck a chord with our team, and we had such a good conversation afterward about how we can use what we learned.”
The campaign’s reach is also expanding—Heads Up Parenting is now launching in Garfield County, continuing to grow momentum across Western Colorado.
To learn more about the Heads Up Parenting or to request a presentation in your community, contact Tedi Gillespie (tgillespie@wc-cf.org) or Sarah Fuller (sfuller@wc-cf.org).
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From Delay to Data to Doing Better
Elizabeth Clark
Daily Sentinel | July 30, 2025
In a Daily Sentinel op-ed from July 30th, Elizabeth Clark reflects on how technology has evolved so quickly in recent years that research wasn’t able to keep up with its influence on our lives. Clark, a mental health therapist who works in District 51 and provides education on healthy technology use, applauds local and state leaders who, now that we have data, are implementing practical strategies to help prevent further harm to youth. In her piece, Clark notes that “this is what change looks like – leaders at every level, pulling in the same direction, and communities choosing to act.”
Keep Reading...
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"Phones Away" in Ouray and Ridgway Schools
Ouray Plain Dealer | 2025
The Ridgway and Ouray County School Districts join others in our region in implementing policies that restrict student cell phone use this school year. The school districts have each chosen an approach they believe will work best for their schools. Ridgway’s approach is a “cellphone free environment” policy.
Ouray's revised policy says, “We’re giving you back the value of time. Engage in conversations and activities face-to-face and without distractions from phones.” Stories on Ouray and Ridgway’s cell phone policies were recently featured in the Ouray County Plaindealer.
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A current area of focus for our Community Foundation is the mental health and well-being of young people. Heads Up, Phones Down provides information and resources for our community to foster healthier social media and technology habits that promote more face-to-face interactions and better mental health.
We invite parents, educators and community members to join us in this effort. Learn more about our work here.
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The Western Colorado Community Foundation (WCCF) is a force for good—amplifying generosity and sparking lasting change across its seven-county region. Managing more than $187 million in assets and distributing over $8.3 million annually in grants and scholarships, WCCF builds lasting connections that unite people, partners, expertise, and resources to strengthen western Colorado for generations to come. |
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