Youth Opportunities Program

The Youth Opportunities Program is a leadership and grant-making program for city youth. Its purpose is to make Boulder a better community for people of middle school or high school age by helping them access cultural, educational and recreational activities.

The Program is advised by the Youth Opportunities Advisory Board (YOAB), a group of high school students. The 2009-2010 YOAB has 16 members who attend four different schools. Board member meetings are held the first Friday of each month during the school year. New members join the Board each spring through an application process.

Martin Luther King Jr. Writing Contest Information & Entry Form .  Co-sponsored by YOAB/Youth Opportunities Program and the Rocky Mountain Peace & Justice Center.

Information & Application for Voices V , the youth-adult juried art show sponsored by YOAB/Youth Opportunities Program and Rembrandt Yard

View the 12-minute video describing the Youth Opportunities Program and its impacts on the community
(To download Quicktime, click on Quicktime link at the bottom of this Web page. Then open QuickTime Player, go to to the File dropdown menu, click on "Open URL", and paste in the address at the top of the page you get to when you click the video link above. Even though the page won't be displayed the necessary address (rtsp://.....) will appear at the top.)

2009-2010 Youth Opportunities Advisory Board (YOAB)

Front row, L to R: Josh Smith, Bonnie Rogers, José Alvarado, Ani Christianian, Richa Poudyal, Lupita Sánchez, Karmin Barcenas, Neal Kornreich
Back row, L to R: Shawn Heimbach, Patrick Autruong, Eric Davids, Ariel Amaru, Peter Osnes, Bridger Tomlin, Nellie Quinn
Missing: Alex Novelli

MORE PHOTOS: Outstanding Youth Volunteer Awards, Martin Luther King Day, YOAB Alums, etc

Grants: The Youth Opportunities Program is funded through a city sales tax. The Program offers financial support for cultural, recreational, and educational activities for City of Boulder resident middle and high school age youth through grants to individual youth and to agencies. More information here about grants available through our program. 

List of current grantees
City of Boulder News, September 24, 2009

Volunteer Opportunities: Need ideas for where to do local volunteer work?  List of possible places with contact info, organized by age

YOAB Receives National Philanthropy Day Award

Other Youth Focused Information:

Building Connections , a report of the community engagement process conducted in the spring of 2006 in response to the issues presented in the 2003 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS).

Voices and Views , a report of the youth summit held with 115 young people in March, 2006 as part of the YRBS community engagement process.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 18 November 2009 21:08