Helpful links
- Link to EAGLE enrollment packet (required for all teens before signing up for individual days)
- Link to sign up for each program day (required; see below for more info)
- Link to sign up for our email list
Signing up for each day currently required
As of March 13, 2023, we currently require teens to sign up for all program days on the community center’s website, which also reserves a spot for them in the van from Gilpin Secondary. We are capping the number of participants at 14 per day for the rest of the school year due to limited staffing. Sign-ups will go live at the beginning of each month. Click here to sign up your teen: if you have issues logging in to the system, please contact the Community Center at 303-582-1453.
An additional 4 spots are available each day for walk-in participants who have their own transportation to the community center. Those spots are first-come, first-served and teens must check in with Katherine upon arrival. Any teens who arrive after we have hit our max capacity must pay the entrance fee to the community center and will be responsible for themselves, rather than being part of EAGLE. If finances are a barrier to your teen paying the drop-in fee to the community center when they cannot attend through EAGLE, there are scholarships you can apply for through the Friends of the Gilpin County Community Center: click here for the quick & easy application.
About EAGLE
EAGLE is a 4-H out-of-school program at the Gilpin County Community Center. We provide FREE extracurricular opportunities and a space to hang out for youth in 6th-12th grade. All activities and field trips are planned by our youth program assistant and youth leadership team with the support of our adult program coordinator.
- Youth can use the gym, the pool, the kitchen, the TV, our video game consoles, anything in the program closet, or just hang out
- Ages 14+ who have completed the fitness orientation with staff can use the fitness hall and weight room
- Our program calendar shows our optional activities for youth who are interested
- We provide transportation from Gilpin High to the community center after school. To get a ride with our van, meet us on the outside stairs by the buses between 4:00 and 4:05 Monday-Thursday.
- 100% free and open to residents of any county
Unless otherwise noted on the calendar, during the school year we are open Monday through Thursday from 4:15 to 7:15 PM. On Tuesdays, the community center is not open to the general public, so please knock on the green side door to be let in (near the ballot box). Email, text, or call Katherine with questions: (970) 633-2885 or katherine.harvey@colostate.edu
Youth must complete the enrollment packet prior to signing up for program days. Please send to katherine.harvey@colostate.edu when complete. Paper copies may be obtained and dropped off at the community center.
Leadership team
EAGLE Youth Leadership Team
The EAGLE Youth Leadership Team is recruited on a semester basis and is composed of Gilpin youth ages 12-17. The leadership team is paid for their work in planning, participating in, and advertising activities.
We meet 10 times per semester and always have food! Teens build upon their strengths, develop new skills, get first dibs on field trips, and have priority applications for program assistant positions. Some of the past projects leaders have done include:
- designing their own EAGLE swag
- planning field trips and events with teens from Nederland
- creating a community survey
- analyzing quantitative data and learning to code qualitative data
- conducting a SWOT analysis and making program recommendations
- interviewing new members
- advertising at school open houses
Current team
We have 9 youth on our spring 2023 team: Milo, Leo, Rayna, Brian, Joey, Kari, Paul, Acadia, Tori, and Kendra! Some of our teens are on their 5th semester of leadership team.
Our program assistants, Aucklynn and Rayna, both previously served on the leadership team and now facilitate team meetings and lead trainings to help our teens develop new skills.
How to apply
Our leadership team and program assistants interview new applicants on a semester basis when there are openings. Applications for the spring 2023 team have closed. To be notified when applications open for the fall 2023 team, please sign up for our email list.
Why bother applying?! Here’s what past youth leaders have to say:
“The biggest perk of being in the leadership program is definitely getting to make new friends and getting to go places and do things that we may have not done before.”
“It’s a fun and easy way of getting a bit of money.“
“I think getting leadership experience and volunteer hours was a huge deal for me because it will definitely help me later on applications and for things like the Honors Society.“
“It keeps me from getting bored.”
“I think overall this was really fun. What really drew people in was the fun and diverse activities that they otherwise might not have gotten to do. So that and being allowed to hang with friends was definitely the best part of this.”
Staff
Adult Program Coordinator
Katherine Harvey | katherine.harvey@colostate.edu | Full-time
Katherine grew up in the Peak to Peak and spent her childhood raising chickens, reading fantasy books, and riding her horse with Gilpin’s 4-H Club. She has worked in youth development since she was sixteen, starting at TEENS, Inc. in Nederland. She spent two years in Denver at the state health department, a summer in Wyoming at a Boys and Girls Club, and used to work the front desk at the Gilpin County Community Center. In December 2019, she wrote the grant application to start EAGLE.
Katherine has a BA in English and is pursuing a Master’s in Public Health. She is deeply passionate about rural communities, trauma-informed mental health, and always citing your scientific sources. She currently serves as an officer on Gilpin’s Public Health Advisory Board and co-leads the statewide Youth Employee and Leader Empowerment Training System. Outside of work, she backpacks, bakes, and hangs out with her donkey.
Youth Program Assistant
Aucklynn Sacco | aucklynn.sacco@colostate.edu | Part-time (7 hours/week)
Aucklynn grew up in Gilpin County and spent her childhood reading, hiking, biking, and doing theater. Aucklynn started out with EAGLE being a part of the Youth Leadership Team, where she helped plan field trips/activities, as well as helped with advertising. Aucklynn has experienced working with youth through interning/helping with middle school aged students through summer camps in Boulder, CO.
Aucklynn is currently attending Gilpin County High School where she will be a senior in the 2022-2023 school year. After high school, Aucklynn wants to pursue her bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering. In her free time, Aucklynn does theater with various companies throughout Colorado, as well as plays violin, and hangs out with her friends/family.
Youth Program Assistant
Rayna Durnen | rayna.durnen@colostate.edu | Part-time (7 hours/week)
Rayna grew up in Broomfield and spent her childhood spending time with her family and helping at her grandparents church that they attended; when she got to 6th grade, she helped lead small groups and she also did leadership in 4-H. Rayna started out with EAGLE in the summer of 2020 and was then a part of the Youth Leadership Team for two semesters. She likes riding horses and has been riding for two years.
Rayna is currently attending Gilpin County High School where she will be a Junior in the 2022-2023 school year and will be attending Warren Tech for Live Sound and Event Production. In her free time, she likes to play guitar with her uncle and hang out with her uncle. After high school, she wants to work with her uncle and help get him gigs.
Food for Gilpin youth
It’s important to us that all children and youth in Gilpin have access to nutritious food.
EAGLE snacks & cooking skills
Thanks to state grants, we are able to provide free snacks for middle and high school students during our drop-in program hours. Teens can write food requests on our whiteboard and also have access to a fully stocked kitchen if they want to make a meal after school. We do our best to stock both nutritious snacks (fruits, nuts, whole grains, sparkling water) and things our teens like to eat! Please inform us if your teen has a food allergy.
Our youth leaders frequently plan cooking and baking nights, which are great fun and help build cooking, math, chemistry, and time management skills.
Mountain Backpack Program
We are proud to help coordinate and pack backpacks for the Mountain Backpack Program.
The Mountain Backpack Program’s mission is to keep kids full and focused throughout the school year. Every Thursday, enrolled children/youth pick up a backpack filled with breakfast, lunch and snacks for the weekend from the Gilpin K-12 school or the Gilpin County Community Center. There are no pre-qualifications to enroll in the program and parents/guardians may enroll children of any grade (or who are not yet school age). You can stay in the program for as little as one week or as long as you would like. If you want to enroll your kid, email Katherine: katherine.harvey@colostate.edu.
More food in Gilpin County
All of these food sources are available to Gilpin residents, regardless of income. Fresh produce is often available, especially at the Holistic Homestead.
| Day/Time | Source | Location |
| Thursdays, 1:30-3:45 PM | Free food pantry by Gilpin County Human Services | Pantry trailer is across the road from Basecamp: 101 Norton Drive, Black Hawk, CO 80422 |
| Fri/Sat/Sundays, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Pay-What-You-Can Cafe by the Holistic Homestead | Holistic Homestead is at the Professional Building: 972 Golden Gate Canyon Rd, Black Hawk, CO 80422 |
| Sundays, 3:00-4:00 PM | Free food pantry by the Holistic Homestead | Holistic Homestead is at the Professional Building: 972 Golden Gate Canyon Rd, Black Hawk, CO 80422 |
Partners
We’re lucky to be a part of a network of mountain folks that serve and support young people! Thank you so much to the donors who allow us to provide opportunities for Gilpin youth:
- Tony Grampsas Youth Services
- Gilpin County Commissioners
- Gilpin County Education Foundation
- Alan Green Memorial Foundation
- Girl Scout Troop #68190
- Peak to Peak Rotary Club
- Jeff and Colleen Harvey
We also partner with organizations and individuals to offer a variety of activities, field trips, and opportunities for EAGLE participants. Some of our partners include:
- Gilpin County: Community Center, Gilpin K-12, Human Services, Resilience 1220, the Holistic Homestead, Rotary Club, local 4-H leaders
- Nederland: TEENS, Inc., Mountain Coalition for Youth, Wild Bear
If you are interested in partnering with us to bring more opportunities to Gilpin youth, please email Katherine: katherine.harvey@colostate.edu.