帝王会所

鈥淕o play outside.鈥�

A line used by parents to encourage their children to experience the outdoors and engage in physical activity since time immemorial.

But in an age of and, getting kids to connect with nature might seem more difficult than ever.

Backed by a $1.75 million grant from (GOCO), a coalition of Greeley-based organizations is looking to change that.

Enter Generation Wild Greeley.

The goal? Connecting all Greeley children and their families 鈥� especially those living on the city鈥檚 underserved east side 鈥� with Colorado鈥檚 natural spaces through a variety of community-based programming.

Underscoring the importance of the initiative, 20+ community-based organizations have joined in support of Generation Wild Greeley, including the University of Northern Colorado鈥檚 Active Schools Institute (ASI).

Brian Dauenhauer, Ph.D., professor of Kinesiology, Nutrition and Dietetics in the College of Natural and Health Sciences, and ASI director, expressed his excitement at being a part of the initiative.

鈥淭his whole project is dedicated toward giving kids experiences in the outdoors and helping them to become passionate about connecting with nature. What's better than that?鈥�

- Brian Dauenhauer, Ph.D.

Beginning in January 2026, ASI will serve alongside the other organizations within the coalition to survey the Greeley community, analyze data and developments and launch a wide array of community-focused programs over the course of the next five years, all aimed at getting Greeley鈥檚 families outdoors.

Specifically, ASI will be tasked with tackling the project鈥檚 evaluation data, partnering with Community Impact Collaborative 鈥� another of the groups in the coalition, founded by Russell Carson, Ph.D., former 帝王会所 faculty member and ASI founding director.

鈥淲e鈥檙e called the 鈥榙ata wranglers鈥� within the coalition,鈥� Dauenhauer said. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 exactly what we鈥檙e doing 鈥� taking data relating to this project, analyzing it and reporting it back to the different groups and partners involved.鈥�

Dauenhauer said 帝王会所 graduate and undergraduate students working in ASI will have the opportunity to help with the project, gaining hands-on experience working with the Greeley community and building real-world research skills.

ASI is just one of many organizations working to put the Generation Wild grant funding to good use.

Kristen Wilkinson, environmental planner for the City of Greeley鈥檚 Culture, Parks and Recreation Department, has been involved with the project since its inception. She said Greeley鈥檚 aspirations for a grant like this go back all the way to 2017, when GOCO selected the first round of Colorado communities to support through program funding.

鈥淲e were really excited to hear that GOCO was opening Generation Wild up to new communities,鈥� Wilkinson said. 鈥淚 think this is going to be a phenomenal change for Greeley, especially for our most underserved residents.鈥�

According to Wilkinson, that change will take many forms, including nature-focused community events to be held in areas of east Greeley, renovations and improvements to natural areas in the city, youth-centered programming like field trips and environmental education opportunities, accommodations for family transportation to natural spaces and more.

鈥淪pending time outside is a genuine quality of life amenity,鈥� Wilkinson said. 鈥淚t improves all areas of our lives, from physical health to mental well-being. Outdoor access is essential for humans.鈥�

Also among those involved with the project are east Greeley residents like Fardowsa Barkadle.

Barkadle serves as a CORE Fellow at and has contributed to the Generation Wild project through conducting surveys of Greeley residents, helping to illuminate ways in which the project can do the most good for the most people.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very exciting. In my perspective, east Greeley is often underserved,鈥� Barkadle said. 鈥淢any of the residents who live there are new to the area, often being multicultural and multilingual, and they aren鈥檛 aware of the resources available to them. I feel that this grant and the programs it fosters will serve as a great way to connect residents with their community.鈥�

Outside of her work for Generation Wild Greeley, Barkadle is involved in her community in a number of ways 鈥� she hosts a group that meets monthly to get out and go on walks in local parks and partners with Centennial Library to provide an ongoing class focused on teaching English to residents of east Greeley.

Through this work, she鈥檚 come to know many residents who will be positively impacted by the Generation Wild grant.

鈥淚鈥檝e seen a lot of excitement and desire from families to get outdoors, but often, they don鈥檛 understand how to start getting out and doing it,鈥� Barkadle said. 鈥淢ost importantly, I can鈥檛 wait for more people in Greeley to come to love the outdoors.鈥�

Barkadle and Dauenhauer both expressed hope that the educational opportunities and exposure to the world of nature and environmental sciences included in the grant鈥檚 programming will empower more young people in Greeley to pursue careers in those fields.  

The Generation Wild Greeley initiative will kick off in earnest starting early next year. In the years to come, those involved hope to make a genuine, grounding enhancement on the lives of Greeley鈥檚 residents.

鈥淭he vision of Generation Wild Greeley is that all people in our community benefit from connection to nature, their neighborhood and each other,鈥� Dauenhauer said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 that connection piece that鈥檚 truly important 鈥� it鈥檚 about more than just getting people outdoors; it鈥檚 about connecting communities and nature in ways that will last.鈥�