We Are Chaffee's Future Collage
As an introduction to We Are Chaffee’s Future, we have compiled photos of youth who may be our future community leaders, business owners, parents, police officers, teachers, health professionals, and more. Let’s work together to identify the key indicators that we can change to ensure that our investment in all of our youth will lead to them having opportunity, and the desire, to stay in Chaffee County.

Do you have a passion for your community and want to make a difference?

We have opportunities for participants and artists!

We Are Chaffee’s Future Belonging Project Overview:

Chaffee County Public Health’s storytelling initiative, We Are Chaffee (WAC), has received funding for a 2-year project by Belonging Colorado through The Denver Foundation.

Belonging is a feeling that one truly belongs. It is associated with strong social connections, psychological safety, and co-creation or the perception that one can influence decision-making and is treated equally. Having a sense of belonging helps manage stress and other behavioral issues. When we feel we have support and are not alone, we are more resilient, often coping more effectively with difficult times in our lives.

One way to move toward a culture of belonging is to help people from different political or cultural states to bridge the differences between them. We Are Chaffee’s Future (WACF) Belonging Project’s focus will be on bridging divides within a small group of intergenerational participants through the fostering of constructive dialogue and exposure to active engagement opportunities to create trust and understanding across group lines. The work will culminate in the creation of public art and shared stories throughout the county that represent the participant’s personal experiences and reflect the group’s shared sense of community belonging. Through exposure to public art and a public education outreach effort, the ideas of belonging will resonate with community members and visitors.

WACF will engage a total of 14 participants who love art and represent the diversity of the county, with an equal number of older people and younger people to create intergenerational pairs to work together. The bridge building workshops will be intensive, and facilitators will utilize the UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center’s Bridging Difference Program skills to provide guidance.

How can you help?

We are looking for:

Public spaces that may legally display artwork created by the program participants throughout the county. WACF’s goal is to make each piece accessible to as many people as possible. If you know of a great location, big or small, please have the property owner contact us.
People who love art and have a passion for creating a healthy community may want to participate in this program. All selected participants will receive a $500 “thank you” gift card at the end of the project.
Artists that may have the desire and skills needed to help make this project a success.
Let us know if your organization would like to host a short presentation and Q&A by WACF staff to learn more about this project and/or learn how you may support this project.

Calling ALL Artists!

Artist Job Description & Application - Click Here Artist application due May 23

Participant Description & Application - Click Here Participant application due May 23

Do you have questions?

Contact: Lisa Martin LMartin@chaffeecounty.org

Chaffee County Public Health Community Advocacy Coordinator

Read more about the project here:

About The Denver Foundation
For 100 years, The Denver Foundation has been building a stronger, thriving Metro
Denver, Colorado, and beyond. We’ve received $2.1 billion from generous
donors and given $1.6 billion in grants to support community initiatives. We’re the
foundation of Denver, connecting and collaborating to address the current and
future challenges of our community. To learn more about The Denver Foundation, visit
www.denverofundation.org

About Belonging Colorado
Belonging Colorado is a bold, new effort to bring people together in new ways, grow
resilience in our state, and expand Coloradans’ sense of who belongs. We seek to
invest in good ideas for building connections across lines of difference—racial, ethnic,
socioeconomic, political affiliation, age, and more. Our state is not immune to the trends
of social division and disconnection affecting our nation. It is more essential than ever
that Coloradans work effectively across differences to bridge divides and support our
state's long-term health, resilience, and well-being.

About the Greater Good Science Center
Based at UC Berkeley, the Greater Good Science Center provides a bridge between the
research community and the general public.
Find out more: https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/who_we_are

Artist

We Are Chaffee’s Future Belonging Project - Artist Position Information

Online Application Click HERE

Or download a printable application HERE

We Are Chaffee’s Future, a program of Chaffee County Public Health, is hiring 2 artists for an Intergenerational Public Art Project with a theme of “Belonging.” Preference is to hire one artist for work in the north end of the county and one to work in the south end of the county.

The project is funded through the Denver Foundation’s Belonging Colorado Grant. The purpose of this project is to host 7 pairs of people consisting of 1 young person and 1 older person to develop a sense of trust, a willingness to engage, and once they have bridged their differences, move toward a common goal to create public artwork together that represents Belonging for them and for the larger Chaffee County community.

The rate of pay is $75/hour. The Scope of Work & Time Estimate, Preferred Qualifications, and other position details are listed below. The final invoice for the 2026 contract will be due by November 30, 2026 and will be paid within 30 days.

SCOPE and RESPONSIBILITIES:

Participate in Belonging training and engagement process (6 hours)
Work collaboratively with participants to assist in design concepts (30 hours)
Work collaboratively with participants to finalize design and installation of the art project(s) (38 hours)
Attend the project completion public event(s) (6 hours)

Preferred/Desired Qualifications:

Currently lives in Chaffee County and/or feels a strong connection or history to Chaffee County
Experience working in a collaborative setting
Experience working with older adults and/or young people
Experience creating public art/murals
Willingness to attend training(s) to better understand the goals of this project and learn how to effectively communicate with older and younger people.
Open to be on camera throughout the process and to have photo taken/shared
Bilingual preferred
Available for group meetings during the following time frames:
1. Two (2) trainings Late Summer/Early Fall 2025
2. One (1) gathering sometime in November
3. Bi-weekly sessions for art development and installation April - May 2026

Minimum Education and Experience:

An applicant’s education and experience will reflect excellent communication skills, an understanding and passion for community-driven art efforts, and the ability to guide individuals and groups of people to create meaningful art.

Special Professional and/or Job-related Skills:

The ideal applicant will have an ability to adjust their rhetorical approach based on the youth audience or older adult audience with whom they are engaging with; will have the ability to adapt work to support both non-artists and/or artists to visualize and develop their thoughts into art; and will have the ability to take multiple ideas to create a holistic and meaningful public art piece. Bilingual ability is a plus.

Work Experience in Positions Related to this Job: The ideal applicant will have experience as a large-format artist and/or educator.

Applications will be accepted until May 23, 2025.

When do I find out if I have been accepted as an artist?

We will be receiving applications through the end of May. We Are Chaffee will review applications in early June and will contact all applicants of status. Please email Lisa at any time for updates or questions. LMartin@chaffeecounty.org

Participant

We Are Chaffee’s Future Belonging Project - Participant Information

Online Participant Application Click HERE

Or download a printable application HERE

We Are Chaffee’s Future, a program of Chaffee County Public Health, is looking for art-loving, community-minded people to participate in a multi-month Intergenerational Bridging Differences Program that will culminate in the creation of a Public Art Project with a theme of “Belonging.” Participants do not need to be artists, only value and understand the power of art and have a passion for their community.

This project will work with pairs of people who have diverse ages to develop a sense of trust and a willingness to engage with the other person that they are paired with. The ultimate goal is for the pairs to move toward a common goal to create public artwork together that represents Belonging for them and also represents the larger Chaffee County community. The artwork will also include recorded personal stories from participants that will be accessible at each piece of art via QR Code to help describe their artwork to viewers. In order to track the program’s progress, surveys will be conducted during the sessions and participants will have the option of being interviewed on film during the project.

The engagement process will consist of 3 orientation sessions beginning in late summer/fall of 2025 and, beginning in February of 2026, 7 bi-weekly sessions that will include working with an artist to help develop public art ideas, for a total of 10 sessions. Approximately half of the sessions will take place in Buena Vista, with the other half taking place in Salida/Poncha Springs. Food will be provided at each session and transportation and/or gas cards will be provided to eliminate barriers to participation. At the end of the project, each participant who attended each session will receive a $500.00 gift card.

Characteristics of an Ideal Participant:

Desire to engage with people who are a different age to learn how to build trust and understanding with people who are not like you
Willingness to work in pairs/groups with others to determine shared values and common goals for an installation of public artwork
Demonstrate a love and understanding for the power of art
Desire to impact our community in a positive manner through their art and stories
Ability to attend 10 sessions together (exact dates TBD), ending May of 2026
Participants may be any age
As part of the participant recruitment process, the program would like to create a balance of perspectives from our county that include under-represented communities such as: people from a ranching/agricultural background, people of color, native spanish-speakers, LGBTQ+ individuals, etc., to participate along with more traditional populations.

Scope of Program:

Chosen participants will commit to attend 10 active engagement sessions with people who are older or younger than them to learn how to bridge differences and create feelings of belonging with other participants. In addition, through the creation of meaningful public art project(s) and storytelling, the entire community will be positively impacted by the art and stories participants create.

Participants will also have an opportunity to help design and attend the final project celebration event(s), and be interviewed throughout the 10 sessions on film to document the process of bridge-building. Other opportunities for participant engagement in the community may be possible in the future.

Incentives:

Each session will provide a unique learning space and experience for participants that may include nature, art, and music activities. Food will be provided at each session and transportation barriers will be taken care of through gas cards or providing rides. In addition, monetary incentive gift cards will be provided at the end of the project to each participant for a total of $500.00/participant.

Applications will be accepted until May 23, 2025.

When do I find out if I have been accepted as a participant?

We will be receiving applications through the end of May. Since the total number of participants is only 14, we anticipate that not all who apply will be accepted. Applicants should find out in early June if they will become a participant. Please email Lisa at any time for updates or questions. LMartin@chaffeecounty.org

We would love to hear from you! Please fill out the form.