CO.created is a community storytelling project that honors the power of collaboration and the people who are coming together with us to reshape the arc of opportunity for Colorado kids & families
People
TeRay Esquibel | Ednium
“It wasn’t risky to say ‘Stop ignoring homegrown talent.’ The risk was staying silent.”
organizations & Institutions
CHIC & Justice for Black Coloradans
Just-Passed Legislative Study Seeks to Address Codified Racism
The impacts of racism on Black Coloradans aren’t abstract. Colorado homeownership rates are twice as high for white households compared to Black households. The median wealth for a white family in Colorado is $170,000 compared to $18,000 for Black families. A just-passed legislative study, the brainchild of the Collaborative Healing Initiative Within Communities, seeks to provide equally tangible solutions.
Organizations & Institutions
Ednium the Alumni Collective
Financial literacy is now a DPS graduation requirement. A group of recent DPS graduates are behind that change & others.
Short Films
The Dearfield Fund
Meet a few of the 150+ homeowners who are fueling a movement to build Black wealth.
people
Anya Dickson Arguello
30,000+ Denverites can’t access the internet. Anya is working to change that & bringing new voices to the table along the way.
Our Pick
Short films
Black Wealth Cannot Wait
Since launching in July 2021, Black homeowners have been the heart and soul of the Dearfield Fund for Black Wealth. Meet a few of those 150+ homeowners and catch a glimpse of this movement to build Black wealth in a short film that has now been honored by the Telly Awards for excellence in documentary filmmaking.
Short Films
SHORT FILMS
Why 9th Grade Success is Vital
In 2019, the small town of Center, Colo. saw their high school graduation rates drop to the lowest in the state. Now, they’re among the highest. This is a story about how the town’s high school and the Center for High School Success came together, using the 9th Grade Success grant program to help their kids and community get back on-track. As of 2024, the 9th Grade Success grant program was serving 1,800 students across Colorado, and the data tells us 180 more of those students would graduate as a result of this highly proven, data-driven program. But there are 70,104 ninth graders in Colorado. In the 2024 legislative session, state lawmakers extended the funding for this program so that it can reach even more of them.
Coming Soon
These stories will be appearing on the CO.created platform soon, so make sure to stay tuned and sign up for our email list to get the latest content.
PEOPLE: Jessica Hansen & Jeffco Prosperity Partners
SHORT FILMS: Wealth Through Ownership | An Employee Ownership Movement
ORGANIZATIONS & INSTITUTIONS: Colorado Pay it Forward Fund (COPIFF)
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