Eagles Teen Program

• Eagles enrollment packet (required for all teens before signing up for individual days)
• Link to sign up for each program day (required for field trips and teens who will take Eagles van from Gilpin Secondary)

Katherine's last day will be Friday, March 22 and her final day of running program will be March 14 (the Thursday before spring break). YLT meetings will continue as scheduled for the rest of the semester. We are not sure yet if we can offer programming through to the end of the school year. Updates will be posted here.

Eagles is an out-of-school program at the Gilpin County Community Center. We provide free extracurricular opportunities and a space to hang out for youth ages 12 and up through high school graduation. All activities and field trips are planned by our youth program assistants 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 Secondary to the community center after school. To get a ride with our van, sign up online beforehand and 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. Email, call, or text Katherine with any questions: kharvey@gilpincounty.org or (970) 633-2885.

Eagles Youth Leadership Team

The Eagles 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. Our program assistants, Rayna and Brian, both previously served on the leadership team and now facilitate team meetings and lead trainings to help our teens develop new skills.

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 program 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

Spring 2024 Team

Paul is a sophomore at Gilpin County High School and is on his fifth semester with YLT. He likes to draw but hates heights. Paul is on YLT for friends, money, and pizza.

Kendra is an eighth grader at Gilpin County Middle School and is on her fourth semester with YLT. She likes to play music but hates when you take something out of a freezer and it scrapes the side. Kendra is on YLT because she want to be around peeps and have new experiences.

Joey is a junior at Gilpin County High School and is on his sixth semester with YLT. He likes to code and make video games but hates incredibly bad or non-existent communication. Joey is on YLT because he wants experience with working with others and leadership experience.

Leo is a sophomore at Gilpin County High School and is on her sixth semester with YLT. She enjoys baking, writing, and making digital art but dislikes reading. Leo is on YLT to save for her future and gather experience for future jobs. She also does it to get to know more people in her community.

Tori is a sophomore at Gilpin County High School and is on her fourth semester with YLT. She likes to draw and play video games in her spare time but hates people who walk slow. Tori is on YLT to earn experience and meet new people.

Milo is an eighth grader at Gilpin County Middle School and is on his fourth semester with YLT. He likes snowboarding and snow makers but hates Taylor Swift. Milo is on YLT for the experience and for the money.

Adeline is an eighth grader at Gilpin County Middle School and is on her first semester with YLT. She likes to play basketball but hates weird-shaped paper airplanes. Adeline is on YLT because she loves Kathy.

Ava is an eighth grader at Gilpin County Middle School and is on her first semester with YLT. She likes to read, do cheerleading, hang out with friends, and of course, be at the Eagles program with Kathy, but she hates caviar because it’s gross and when her clean socks get wet. Ava is on YLT (1) to get more money, (2) to help the rec center thrive and improve, and (3) to share her ideas.

Eagles Staff

Adult Program Coordinator

Katherine Harvey, MPH | kharvey@gilpincounty.org | 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 worked with Gilpin Parks & Recreation prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. In December 2019, she wrote the grant application to start Eagles.

Katherine holds a Master's in Public Health and is certified as a Wilderness First Responder. She has served as a founding officer of Gilpin's Public Health Advisory Board since 2020 and is passionate about rural communities, trauma-informed mental health, and partnering with youth. Outside of work, she backpacks, bakes, and hangs out with her donkey. Only her teens can call her Kathy.

Youth Program Assistant

Rayna Durnen | rdurnen@gilpincounty.org | 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 Eagles in the summer of 2021 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 and Warren Tech. She is a senior and will graduate in May. 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 in the theater as a stage hand or work with Rhett Haney as their merch seller.

Youth Program Assistant

Brian Baratta | bbaratta@gilpincounty.org | Part-time (7 hours/week)

Brian grew up in Central City. He spent a lot of time reading books like Warrior Cats when he was little and loved caring for his dogs. In middle school, he went snowshoeing with some teens with TEENS, Inc. He started on the youth leadership team in March 2021, so has been with Eagles close to three years. He goes to Gilpin County High School and is a junior. He would love to be a therapist one day when he’s out of high school to help with people’s problems. In his free time, he will usually either sing music—mostly Lana Del Ray—or play video games.