For the past year and a half, Western Colorado Alliance has been working to reconnect with the Garfield County community by listening to residents, connecting with local organizations, and showing up to community events. As the Garfield County Community Organizer, it’s been my pleasure to meet many of you, and I’m looking forward to meeting many more. To keep us connected, I’d like to start sending out quarterly newsletters focused on our local work. Here is a look at what we’ve been up to, what’s coming up, and where we are going as we move into 2024!

Elevating Community Voices

Last month, we partnered with the local non-profits Wilderness Workshop and Defiende Nuestra Tierra to elevate our communities’ voices on public land and oil and gas leasing decisions! Over 28 community members attended two workshops in Rifle and Glenwood Springs and learned why the public comment process is important, and how to craft and submit an effective public comment in any setting. Each one of us has the right and opportunity to impact public decisions that affect our lives, and Western Colorado Alliance is committed to ensuring West Slope residents have the tools to participate in civic processes. Thank you to everyone who joined! 

West Slope Youth Voice Meet n’ Greet

We hear it often: How do we get youth involved in decision-making? Here’s how! West Slope Youth Voice is a student-run program that wants to connect and organize with youth in Garfield County to identify and work on issues students care about. Join us for a Meet n’ Greet to learn about this non-partisan, civic engagement, leadership development program for youth. West Slope Youth Voice works to educate peers, meet elected officials, and lobby on legislation at the state Capitol. All youth, parents, and educators are welcome! Help lift youth voices by inviting the young people in your lives to join us on Monday, November 20 at 6:30 pm in the Rifle Branch Library! 

Organizing Committee Update

Since May, a dedicated group of nine Western Colorado Alliance members, new and seasoned, from Parachute to New Castle, representing a diverse range of experience and self-interests, have been meeting to build a new affiliate group: Western Colorado Alliance of Garfield County! Our organizing committee has met monthly to develop a vision, organizational structure, and conduct issue identification actions that are tailored to Garfield County. As the work of the organizing committee winds down, we look forward to expanding our issue work in Garfield County and welcoming a broad range of new voices into the grassroots organizing fold! Which brings us to our final announcement… 

Big news! Early in 2024, Western Colorado Alliance of Garfield County will host its public kickoff meeting and everyone is invited! We’ll be introducing ourselves and giving a presentation including an overview of community organizing, what we learned from Deep Listening in our community, and how we can take action to affect the local change we want to see. Everyone is invited to make new friends and learn how we can come together to build respectful, thriving, and equitable communities in Garfield County. When our community comes together, we can accomplish big things. Stay tuned for event details!

If any of this sounds exciting to you, feel free to reach out! And thanks for reading!