Friends of Youth and Nature

Friends of Youth and Nature (FOYAN) has been removing barriers for Western Slope youth to participate in outdoor experiences that build resilience since 2018. During the pandemic, FOYAN saw the need for a new program: Together for Resilient Youth (TRY). TRY is a collaboration of Montrose-based organizations that work with low-income youth and families. The TRY collaboration includes: Families Plus, Partners West, CASA of the 7th Judicial District, Haven House for the Homeless, Black Canyon Boys and Girls Club, and Outer Range. FOYAN works with outdoor education providers, like Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Association, and Western Slope Stand Up Paddleboard, to provide twice-monthly opportunities for these youth to experience new outdoor activities, build self-confidence, and ultimately support positive physical, social, and emotional health.

In addition to organizing outdoor adventures for youth and their families, the TRY program is a Western Slope partner of the I Matter program. Families participating in TRY receive FOYAN-sponsored outdoor equipment and information about how to access I Matter, which connects youth and families to licensed therapists and provides up to six free counseling sessions. In April, the FOYAN board packed 450 backpacks with water bottles, ponchos and I Matter information.

Our Community Foundation is pleased to support FOYAN’s important work with grant funding and, new this year, a new endowment fund they have established that will provide a diversified funding stream.

YouthStrong Focus for 2024

Promoting Healthy Smart Phone Habits

Our Community Foundation has been working in the area of youth mental health wellness and resiliency for over five years.

Given how much concern there is these days around the amount of time our children and teens spend on their phones and screens, we are planning a handful of focused activities to support parents and families, schools, and nonprofit after-school programs with helpful information, tools, and techniques for limiting daily cell phone usage and practicing healthy digital and online behaviors.

As our School District 51 prepares an updated cellphone policy that will limit the use of smartphones in classrooms and schools so students can better focus on their learning, we will be educating the community about the "why and what" behind this new approach and inviting others to join us in providing funds to purchase cell phone storage units and lockers in schools this coming school year.

We will also be providing Education Briefings to interested groups about the prevalence of concerning behaviors that are tied to increased use of smartphones and social media consumption, and what concerned parents and community members might do to create a more supportive environment for limiting phone use and engaging in more face-to-face "real life" relationships and activities.

Smartphones and the universe of exciting content and apps is not going away, but we can work together as a community to create healthy consumption of social media content and cut back on how much time is spent online and in virtual worlds instead of in-person relationships with family and friends.

With three inter-related components, our initiative is being finalized this summer and will roll out in the new school year:

Eye to Eye (So Baby Thrives) - community education about the importance of spending quality time holding and bonding with babies and infants.

Face to Face (So Students Thrive) - local testimonials and public education sessions on healthy habits for smartphone use.

What the Tech - expand programs and curriculum in classrooms and through Parent Teacher Organizations to better educate students and families as consumers of digital content to be smart "digital citizens."

Stay tuned for more details as we get these efforts launched. Join us in keeping our young people safe online!

Social Worlds &

Youth Well-Being

Study Recommendations

In 2019, our Community Foundation helped launch a suicide prevention study in the Mesa County Valley School District 51, enabling the researchers to apply for and receive $2 million in funding from the National Institute of Health (NIH). The study's final report includes recommendations for strategies to support suicide prevention in our schools and communities.

In March, our Foundation hosted a Community Partner Lunch and Learn for 50 people to hear an overview of the report from lead researcher, Dr. Anna Mueller, and dive into a facilitated discussion on the challenge of transportation in getting more youth outside. The discussion illuminated several ways our nonprofits could collaborate to share and increase transportation to and participation in outdoor recreation.

"The lack of sufficient activities after school for youth may lead to harmful behaviors that increase the risk of suicide, such as drinking and drug use. These same inequities prevent families from taking advantage of the beautiful outdoors surrounding this community. The most serious barrier, however, was the lack of reliable, extensive public transportation" SWYWB Final Report - Community Recommendations

Further meetings are scheduled, and plans to foster more connection and communication between nonprofits serving youth with outside and other recreational programs are in the works.

Read the SWYWB Executive Summary and Recommendations here.

Our Community Foundation's new focus on promoting healthy smart phone habits is of deep personal interest to me. Not so much due to concerns about my own children, who finished high school before smartphones became prevalent, but more because of strong reactions to seeing so many people out and about with their heads down, focused on a small screen and not paying attention to the beautiful world around them... or the other people in it.

Yes, call me old fashioned. I actually like to chat with the person in the airplane seat next to me and cherish family dinners as a time for busy parents and kids to connect and catch up at least once a day. For me, date night means looking at and conversing with the person across the table from you. While I prefer not to bring my phone on hikes, I use it for the All Trails app to keep from getting lost and for the camera to take photos of the scenic landscapes I am enjoying. I DON'T NEED to be in touch with news of the world or updates and notifications from friends, businesses, and politicians when I am disconnecting and enjoying nature as my escape.

I have come to strongly feel that, despite the benefits of smart phones, we as a society need to reduce our dependence on them and limit screentime, particularly on social media, to strike a healthy balance between face-to-face and online interactions for more meaningful connections. 

As I talk with community leaders and donors about our Face-to-Face initiative and some of the small but concrete action steps we are planning, I find an enormous amount of understanding and support for this complicated work we are undertaking. Many have witnessed loved ones becoming more distant, depressed, and absent because of cell phone habits. The pervasive nature of cell phones, bordering on addiction for some, presents a significant challenge... But we look forward to DOING SOMETHING to try and regain a healthier relationship with devices and prioritize more face-to-face interactions with our loved ones. 

~ Anne Wenzel

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