We have had this opportunity come across our desk and we think we would be perfect for it.

There wasn't much information on it, but it was going to be with PBS 12 in Denver.

I was like, oh my gosh.

PBS like, that's.

Yes, absolutely.

Sign me up.

Yes.

Storytelling is kind of everything.

People live their lives in their own bubbles.

The realities between two different people can be so wildly different, they're unrecognizable.

Exploring emotions, whether painful or happy.

Storytelling always comes back to a life.

Storytelling is a very powerful tool.

And when you make a story, you're inviting somebody to take a break from their reality and engage with their reality that you've made, and you're hoping what they take out of that is a little bit of that reality into their life to hopefully improve it.

I always did that with all my friends, right?

Like always did like little story.

So I felt like it was like a way to just kind of escape a little bit.

A way to bring people together, bring communities together.

To do your best and try to understand exactly the story that you're telling and the way it's going to be conveyed to the public.

I think a lot about the ways that we get to know people and we get to know strangers.

I want to learn how to connect with people better.

I want to be confident enough that I can just walk somebody on the street with a microphone and say, hey, what's your story?

Stepping outside of that educational environment, this is such a different realm in the fact that, like, it's the first time I'm not just doing something because like a professor told me to.

Achieve the things that I want to achieve as well as support other people.

I really think this is a great place for me to grow.

All I want to do is learn.

All I want to do is experience new things, and I think this is the perfect place to start that.

Welcome to the PBS 12 Creator Academy Showcase at PBS 12.

We believe great storytellers aren't born.

They're developed through curiosity, collaboration, and the opportunity to tell stories that matter.

The Creator.

Academy is our internship program designed to give emerging storytellers and content creators hands on experience producing stories for public media throughout the program.

Our interns work alongside our production team, learning every step of the process from developing ideas and conducting interviews to filming, editing, and sharing their stories with the community.

What makes this program so rewarding is watching these interns discover their own creative voices.

The stories you'll see tonight reflect not only the skills they've developed, but also the unique perspectives they bring to Colorado and the communities they serve.

We're incredibly proud of everything they've accomplished, and we're excited to share their work with you.

Thank you for joining us and enjoy the PBS 12 Creator Academy Showcase.

Hi, I'm Carmen Guerrero.

I'm a filmmaker, photographer, and content creator who uses photo and video as well as social media to share stories that matter.

I love focusing on people and the communities that they're a part of.

Capturing real moments that feel honest and human is very important to me.

I use all of these outlets to create content that informs, inspires, and helps people feel seen.

Everything I do is from a place of curiosity, empathy, and a love for storytelling.

Our first story tonight follows CSU freshman entrepreneur Eleanor Davis, founder of Happenstance Coffee Company, a mobile coffee cart built around connection and community.

I had the opportunity to follow Eleanor as she shared her journey of starting a business in college, and joined her at one of her coffee cart events to see the impact that she's making firsthand.

What stood out to me most about her was her genuine passion for bringing people together.

Proving that happenstance is much more than just coffee, it's about creating meaningful moments through human connection.

Take a look.

This whole thing kind of started.

I always had a dream of having a coffee company and being all involved in that.

And Olympia.

I worked at a little bakery coffee shop for two years and I loved it.

And it was the coffee I loved.

The bakery was fun, but it was the connections more than anything, that made me fall in love with it.

There is coffee.

You found us.

What can I get for you in someone?

Your coffee or their coffee for the day.

But you're having a conversation with them and you're sending them off on their day, and everyone's having a great start, and you make these connections, and people come in again, and they recognize you and you recognize them.

And that's the whole goal behind this.

My name is Eleanor Davis.

I'm from Olympia, Washington, and I am the owner and founder of Happenstance Coffee.

Hi.

Hello.

Nice to meet you.

I came to CSU.

I'm a first year student, and I was making these little TikToks in my dorm room.

And just the coffee I was making every morning.

And this is what I'm doing.

Just chatting, not thinking anyone's really going to see it.

And people started DMing me and they were like, can I come by this?

Well, no, like I'm in a dorm, can't really buy it.

And so I started looking on Facebook Marketplace and found this cart and it had everything I needed to get started and bought the cart in October, was doing all the prep to get everything going until January, my first Friday.

Weren't you stuff over here?

Yes, the word happenstance was dropped and I was like, tell me more about that.

And it's the idea of everything happens by chance for a chance ending in a good cause, typically.

Or the idea of like, every step got you to this very moment.

So posting my TikTok videos and working at left Bank, the bakery, every little thing just kind of fell into my lap to get me here.

And finding this card on Facebook Marketplace at all just kind of clicked.

And I was like, but it fits the story and I like the way it sounds and it's unique.

And here we are.

Well, actually, there's a story.

Okay.

We have three.

Yeah, yeah, like a maple, honey.

But the biggest thing I think it means to me is like, I've shown myself I can do it.

Like, starting a business is no easy feat, especially being a student.

And so proving to myself that I'm able to do it.

I also grew up super introverted and like was scared to talk to people, and it made me really uncomfortable to have one on one conversations.

And I just kind of got anxious.

And so being able to do this, I feel like I've grown into myself of I own this business.

I have to go stand in front of people and give a presentation or do interviews and help me come out of my shell and really see this is who I am and just embracing who you are, because that's what I am and that's what the business is, and that's the connections I want to build with people.

Are all that.

Tech 12 good?

Perfect.

Yeah.

Oh, considering.

Taking a break for one semester off of school and just really focusing on the cart of, like, dedicating each and every day to how can I make this better?

How can I make events more efficient?

How can I serve the people of Fort Collins better?

What happened?

Stamps.

And so the goal is to be working more events, partnering with more people, getting on CSU campus, going down to maybe Boulder in Denver if I can, I think would be super awesome to explore there and then way down the road.

The goal is to own a brick and mortar and make it a roaster.

And so I have this idea in my head of getting this little cozy house and making it the happenstance house, and it's a place for people to come connect.

So that's the goal long term.

But for now, more events being more efficient and just bettering the business.

There you are.

And I think that's the coolest thing I can say is like, I am the business and the business is me, and that's what you're going to get.

And it's I try to be authentic as possible and it's worked so far.

So.

The happenstance coffee cart can be found rolling all around Fort Collins in this coming school year.

For more information on events and pop ups, check out Happenstance Coffee Co on Instagram.

Hello, I'm Sean Birmingham, a cinematographer and director working across narrative, film and documentary.

Imagine the stories that have yet to be told.

The characters that have yet to be seen and the moments that deserve to be remembered.

I say it's time to make some magic.

Josh Blue has Always been in continues to be one of my favorite comedians.

His rags to riches story shows us that we are all capable of achieving anything that we strive for.

Here's a glimpse of his story at his home club down in Denver.

Comedy works.

Out there.

You see in the windows.

There's all the bills of the upcoming comics.

I remember standing in the window looking at them all, and I think one day my face is going to be in this window.

And they said, we believe you.

And like they said, in a way that was like, not like mean like, okay, buddy, whatever you say they really like.

It was a weird, like moment that just stuck in my head.

And then within like three months, my face was in that window.

It's 25 years later and I'm still still coming here.

Every, every chance I get.

And I travel all over the world.

You know, I do 200 shows a year, but I get to come back to this place and it makes me so happy.

Like, any night I come here, no matter who's on there, probably going to ask me to jump on stage in two five minutes, because these are where my friends work and this is my family.

And, you know, we do Christmas parties and birthday parties together and, you know, and some of the staff here is a woman that's been here, like my whole career.

I've known her 25 years.

So many people are stuck in their own heads, in their ruts and their whatever.

I think the key is just to do it.

Obviously, I do stand up because I love doing it, and I kind of don't care whether you come along with me or not.

I'm having a good time.

But I think that's like contagious.

Like, just having fun is contagious.

My name is Josh through a mr.

comedian, and I tour all over the world doing that.

And.

Yeah, that's all.

The people call me Conor B Johnson.

And I'm an entertainer.

I love to bring a laugh, and it's important for me to try to help people come together and our digitized world.

I believe sometimes we miss the community and stories that actually define our lives, which is why I'm very excited to introduce these stories my colleagues and I put together about the communities across Colorado for this project.

I'm excited to share the Adams County Anythink Libraries, which innovated and redefined what a public library could be and is now the model for what a community library is believing in people and public spaces that Anythink Librarian reminds us all our local libraries do for their communities.

Let's take a look.

It's a place that you can come and you don't need to buy anything.

You are not pressured to really do anything except come in and be yourself and use the space.

What kind of anythink libraries do differently than everybody else?

We do quite a bit differently.

Some of the local libraries have actually changed along with us over the years, but especially when we kind of revolutionized to anything.

One of the first things that they disrupted was the Dewey Decimal System.

So many libraries use either Dewey Decimal System or Library of Congress for categorizing and shelving books.

And we moved to a word, what we call word fink.

And so it's an all it's not based on little numbers that you have to memorize.

It's really meant to make our customers feel smart.

So when you look around at our buildings, see teen graphic novels or cooking, and you just go there and you can find the books that you want.

We believe in meeting people where they are.

So no matter what it is that folks need, they can come in.

Like I said, it can just be like grabbing a book or checking out some of our items.

Reading in a corner.

Coming to programs.

Favorite things about the library that are like most of the stuff they like offers like usually like free like don't really have to like kind of pay for it.

We obviously have folks who come in and just want to use the space as a third space, so they might come in, we greet them, we work on their laptops, work on some of our computers.

We also have folks who are coming in for programing.

That can be everything from our littles coming in, from storytimes to things like our anime club and our Poet laureate.

Yeah, it's good way to like, find other people who are like into what you're into and stuff.

I think one thing that anything is really good.

At.

Is emphasizing creativity and using that kind of foster belonging.

I think a lot of libraries, it's all about the resources that hand and anything still prioritizes all of those and has a whole lot, but a lot of it is based around specifically what patrons ask for.

So a lot of our programs are good around I want to teach these skills like these literacy skills, but we're going to do it by playing Dungeons and Dragons or like watch an anime together.

Going to the library and actually, like getting yourself out there can just like, help you like find more people in your community, like more friends.

Libraries are so important right now because first and foremost, I think reading is fun as well as fundamental.

But libraries are even more than that.

Their third spaces, they are locations where you can get together with community members locally, and they offer all sorts of programing, so many different resources that you wouldn't even expect, like tools, like just there's so cool.

I feel like it's really such a such a lucky treat to have anything libraries in our own backyard.

What would you say makes this library special from the other one community?

There's activities.

Yeah.

Really good stuff.

And yeah, maybe the people.

There's just so much that happens here at our libraries.

You can check out all that the anythink libraries do at Anythink Libraries.

Org.

The Colorado Environmental Film Festival takes place each February in Golden at the Colorado School of Mines, and PBS 12 has proudly supported it as the sponsor for nearly a decade.

We had the opportunity to go behind the scenes, speaking with the organizers and filmmakers about the festival's impact and mission.

What stood out was the passion behind these stories, and the way film is being used to connect audiences to environmental issues in powerful, creative ways.

It's a celebration of storytelling, empowerment and community coming together through film.

Studio.

Just tonight.

That's it.

Okay.

Yes, you.

Certainly can.

Come on in.

It's kind of like a seed in that a seed got planted with an idea that I had, and then he and I both were in the right place at the right time.

We knew people.

We new been here.

We had what we needed basically to get this garden growing.

And this little scene picked up steam and right fertilizer, right people, right places, right temperature, right climate change or whatever.

And now it's a tree.

I called the Colorado Environmental Film Festival.

It's amazing.

Events and organization that we are so proud to have here in Golden.

It's really reflective of who we are as a community, where we can celebrate great art filmmaking as well as really learn and appreciate the subject matter.

Everything about nature and the environment, which we really value and appreciate here in Golden.

Or did so well.

By the community of 100%.

Volunteer organization that has managed to put on this festival.

For.

Over 20 years.

We're really based in Golden, but all throughout Jefferson County, and I really appreciate the community, grassroots base support.

This is a time where people who tell stories, people who are creative, people who see opportunities, which is what documentarians do, exactly what journalists do.

It's exactly what creators do.

How do we keep seeing those opportunities?

How do we keep sharing these critical stories, helping people to connect, to think, and ultimately to empower them to do better?

This is important stuff for people to be able to exist on this planet.

People have to know about our planet and their role and position in it.

Don't be afraid to be educated.

Don't be afraid to be inspired.

Don't be afraid to be motivated.

Because that's what our group does, is our whole mission is to educate the public and create, support and inspire the public to be able to sustain the environment, no matter what aspect of the environment people are passionate about.

But to get involved at the grassroots level, don't be afraid to be educated.

To learn more about the Colorado Environmental Film Festival, visit the website on the screen.

Our final assignment involved giving back to the community.

We were each tasked with finding a local nonprofit that didn't have any video, and used our skills to help tell their stories.

Our team worked together to highlight the work of four great nonprofits.

First up is the Denver Young Artists Orchestra, which was covered by our colleague Nathan Matthews.

We really pride ourselves on giving students an.

Extra challenge.

Musically, especially, we know that sometimes students need that that extra push, that extra challenge to rise to.

And we love being able to provide that at Diao.

We love to give them somewhere they can stretch their musical abilities to, to play music that they maybe didn't think they could or might not have the opportunity to play in any of their other ensembles that they're in.

My name is Rachel.

De Lange.

My role at Dior is the program and orchestra manager, which means I oversee the operations of the organization.

As far as the student orchestras go, I, I oversee rehearsals.

I set up chairs and music stands for the students to use.

I coordinate when they're going to be absent.

If their parents let me know they can't be at a rehearsal.

I work with the conductors to let them know when students can and can't be here.

I help make the music and pass out the music for the students, and generally just ensure that the students and conductors have everything they need to have productive rehearsals and concerts.

I think.

That duo, at its core, is.

Mostly about making lifelong musicians and music appreciated.

It obviously starts when kids are very young, like six years old, and then a lot of students choose to go into music as a career and those who don't always appreciate music.

And I think that it's important to the culture of our society to make music and musicians.

I've been in D for the past five seasons.

This is my last year.

I'm really going to miss this program when it's not part of my life anymore.

Yeah, so I come.

I have three older siblings.

We all play musical instruments.

I've told her sisters to play violin and my brother plays cello.

And so they all did Dio before me.

And so a lot of memories have kind of, you know, them having to go to rehearsal and going to go see their performances.

For my musical progression, I was always in kind of surrounded by music at my household.

So I started taking private lessons and around in kind of my freshman year of high school, I auditioned for Dio and yeah, I got into the yeah, to the orchestra.

My school doesn't really have an orchestra outside of this, and I don't really get to do a chamber music.

So it's so I really love being able to do collaborative playing and that kind of thing.

And so I think with an orchestra program, you don't only improve your ability to listen, but your ability to kind of hear the music around you and let that into your own playing.

I think the greatness of doing comes from the community builds, and I think that kind of goes beyond the students.

But just all the faculty there and and the students as well, and the conductors, I think there's just a really strong sense of connection.

And I think you share that in music.

I think what sets us apart is the level that our students strive to achieve.

They're constantly wanting to get to that next place and wanting to push themselves farther, and that allows us as an organization to push ourselves father, for them.

I just really love to be as involved as I can in playing the concerts and and just helping out in whatever way I can.

I think I want to continue to push myself.

I think that's what's really special, is that we get the opportunity to push ourselves and challenge ourselves in that way.

And I want to, I think, try to become more of a leader in our district.

Diao is amazing because of the students who are here.

That's what makes it amazing.

We have great conductors, we have great staff, but really the students who are in our orchestras are what make us great because they're the ones putting their hearts and souls into this music and pulling off amazing concerts and performances, and.

They're what makes us great.

For my final project, I'm delighted to bring something near and dear to my heart, which is the Grow Girl Organics Community Farm in Arvada, building and seeing my grandmother's turn, an empty plot of land into this community that brings healthy food to people across Colorado.

It's truly been one of the most amazing things I've ever had the privilege to see.

Let's take a look.

My name is Denise and I am the owner of Grog Roll Organics.

This is supposed to be my retirement, but I don't know how that's working.

People buy a share of the farm, and for 20 weeks or 21 weeks, we grow vegetables for them.

So they come every week and pick up vegetables.

People are usually very happy with the CSA because they've learned so much about food.

What did you do that?

I'm a doll and.

I am the manager of the farm here at Girl girl.

I kind of manage the day to day operations in all the different departments, from harvesting to packing and washing to planting and seeding.

That that beer mash should heat it up.

And then it doesn't matter if we use her manure.

That was my biggest concern.

It's a huge conglomerate of things and a lot of planning.

So at the beginning of the season, we're on municipal water supply.

And water is the most expensive thing that I pay for except for payroll.

But water probably costs me more than payroll.

I can use up to 120,000 gallons a month.

So we share water with the property that we're on, which is a church.

And so we have to drag hoses all over the farm at the beginning of the season until we do get access to our irrigation water supply.

It's a lot of hard work.

I fell in love with farming and agriculture the first year I came up here, and I haven't really been able to stop coming back.

And we're trying to create habitats for microbial growth.

So we do protozoan infusions, we do compost teas and extracts.

We have we have that shack, we call it the microbe shack.

And that's where we grow all of our own microbes.

We also have a microscope so that we've all been taught how to look for things in the soil and in our infusions to make sure that we're actually putting microbes into the soil.

Things are being able to grow my own food, being able to supply my community with wholesome food.

Broccoli.

Cabbage.

Cauliflower.

Corn.

Herbs.

Kohlrabi.

Beets.

Carrots.

Lettuce.

Greens.

Okra.

Rhubarb.

Fruit.

Melons.

Beans.

Fava beans.

All squashes.

Winter and summer.

Edamame.

Tomatoes.

Peppers.

It's a lot going on.

And I want to make this the most beautiful little piece of land that isn't our rat.

God put a little thing in my heart and told me that I needed to start this.

So my grandparents, my grandmother, taught me how to do this.

Every year they would come and get me.

I was raised in Florida and they lived in Michigan, and they'd come and get me, like in May, and we drive to Michigan and I'd spend the whole summers with them.

And she had a huge lot of like, a whole nother lot next to her house.

And that's where I learned how to grow.

I mean, shucking beans and snapping them and doing all that stuff.

And she's taught me what a kohlrabi was, and it's my favorite vegetable now.

And so that's why I do that.

And nothing's better than when you plant a seed and you see that.

Little green pop up out of the soil.

It just makes me smile.

It just makes me feel good.

You can check out how to get your own.

Local produce at Grow.

Girl Organics.

Com or see all that they do at Grow Girl Organics on Instagram.

The Denver Actors Fund supports struggling actors by easing challenges that are often overlooked or unseen by those outside the entertainment industry.

I spent the day with members of the cast from The Wiz and other performers from the local arts community.

To learn more about the specifics of the Denver Actors Fund.

Mary, I hope to.

One of.

The main things I've learned from this experience is that in this performing arts world, there are people that will be there to support you, to hold you down, to encourage you, to give you a space to be yourself and to breathe and live through your character.

And things like the Denver Actors Fund is important, because a lot of us who are bouncing between gigs and working in different places, like might need emergency support or different ways to help us through our career goals.

And so I think as actors, I'm like the face, certain roadblocks is so important to have those people to really support us.

Organizations like Daff and others are really essential to the longevity of this field, but also to the development of young artists in school and beyond to be able to develop skills and have opportunities to grow, but also experience, connection and community.

Over the.

Years, I've had friends who've had, you know, from minor procedures to, you know, life saving procedures, who have had medical bills that they didn't expect and just being able to turn over, you know, a $200 bill or, you know, a very expensive bill.

And watch the Deborah Actors Fund help you in that situation so your life doesn't get completely uprooted from that because, you know, even for anyone, even a $200 bill can really affect your finances for the year.

But you can always stay on my place when you.

Three years ago, my mother got very sick with Covid and was in the hospital for over a month and she actually was passed away.

And the Denver actress paid for her funeral expenses.

I would say the one thing I feel like actor shrugged it the most is just scheduling.

Some people can't do it casually, so people have real jobs that they have to do, so it's always that thing.

We're also it's the fight to choose whether to do your art or to have to be in like, the corporate world.

So everything that the Denver actor son does for us, we appreciate, because without them, there would just be so many actors who would be able to do what they do today on stakes.. Resting.

My resting.

Asking for help is one of the bravest things you can do, and you'll be better for it.

You can learn more at.

Actors Fund.

Our final story tonight highlights the Kiva Center, an organization dedicated to creating outdoor learning experiences that foster community personal growth in a deeper connection with nature.

I had the opportunity to produce this piece alongside D Driskell and Lainey Smith, spending time on the property, speaking with staff and participants to better understand its impact.

What stood out most was the passion of the people behind the center and the welcoming community that they've created.

I hope you enjoy it.

The center does.

Deep nature connection work with children and families, and we believe that people just can become their best versions of who they are when they're deeply connected to the rest of life.

I believe.

That everyone comes into this world with a gift.

We are part of all of creation to share.

That's in service to all of life.

And that's what I really want people to find in being part of this.

For me, it's pretty simple.

We protect what we love.

We love what we know more than teaching them about nature.

It's helping them build relationship with nature.

I remember feeling really heartbroken when I learned about what humans are doing to the planet.

I was seeing schools going in the opposite direction, when really what we need is to understand how we're a part of everything and how our actions as humans have an impact.

The world is changing, and our best resource is the one that we have inside of ourselves.

If we're reinforcing from the time kids are really young, this idea which isn't true, that we're separate from all life, and where something different and nature is outside of us than we inherently believe that.

And then we grow up and create systems that reinforce that, and hence we get ourselves into the problem that we're in now.

So to me, the only way back is to find our connection with all of life.

I've been coming.

To.

The Kiva Center for almost 11.

Years now.

My name is Kipp.

This is the first time I've come to this program.

When I came to the Kieffer Center for the first time, it was just like, immediately I was like, oh my.

Gosh.

I belong here.

I have.

Done a lot of environmental education before, but that wasn't like specifically what I was looking for to do.

I was just excited to be outside working with kiddos.

I really appreciate the morning games and wandering and talking a lot.

Fire activities are always fun.

Most of the kiddos in today's world are isolated from themselves and from each other, and from mentorship and from nature.

I really feel like I've sort of become part of the community more than just being a student here.

And it just it makes me so happy to be able to pass that kind of thing on to other kids coming here.

They know so much.

I've learned so many wild edibles and so much about tracking and so much about crafting and yeah, from from the kids who have been doing this stuff for longer than I have.

The Keva center is in left Hand canyon.

It's just about ten minutes outside of Boulder.

It's on a beautiful private land, about 80 acres.

We learn so much from playing in the river.

This is where a little swimming hole is warm out.

The kids love seeing it change, seeing all the creatures that come in this area.

I mean, it's just the lifeblood of the property.

This pond was built as part of the restoration efforts that were led by the Watershed center in Boulder County.

And this is a spring fed pond and it's really crystal clear, clean water.

Do.

This place is just brimming with so much life.

There's so much diversity.

When they designed this restoration work, they decided to imitate the function that beaver dams have in an ecosystem.

So spreading the water out, creating more habitat, mitigating flood, cleaning the river.

And so they created these fake beaver dams and put them along this channel to help do all of those things.

What I've actually discovered is how much richness comes in their play.

And over time I've seen, wow, like some of the things that they're doing in their play I could have never planned.

None of us adults could have ever come up, even when it's the best lesson plan, we never could have come up with it.

How's the dolphin coming along?

Play is a part of what we are doing every day, all the time, and I think that just encourages this culture of cooperation and and love, like genuine friendships.

If we never give them any autonomy, then they're never going to learn how to make good choices and never going to learn how to access the inner wisdom that they already have, that they come into this world with.

I think we need to give kids the type of environment where they can learn to adapt, learn to think on their toes.

This is a place where we get to love who they are, exactly how they are.

I've been here.

I've been coming here for about three years and I'm ten.

I can find spears.

You see that pal of rocks over there?

Boulder shot.

You can see that.

I made a lot of friends here.

And it made this place made me social because I used to be, like, really shy.

So what.

We're doing is we're.

Making the JQ.

So it's took us.

Months because we've been trying to break it and stuff.

This rock is can we were trying all year to do this.

Everybody is really welcoming and kind and they'll help you if you need it.

It's just a really supporting community.

One of the tools that I've learned from the Kiva Center is like being able to talk and interact and play in respectful way.

A couple days a week, I'm out here in our homeschool enrichment program working with the kids.

The kids I work with are 5 to 12 years old, and we're out here for six hours every day.

And so with my commenters, we create the curriculum.

We facilitate the day and hour day is a combination of structure and then different kinds of activities that teach kids about the natural world.

So one of the main programs that Kiva has is our homeschool enrichment.

So the families that attend our families at home school and that runs five days a week, most kids come one day a week.

We have a few that come couple days a week.

The age group is for the kids is 5 to 12 years old, and then we have a teen group that meets on Fridays.

That's 12 to 17.

Then we also have a series of summer skills classes.

So they're focused on different skill areas, like there's one on foraging.

There's one I'm really excited about because it's one of my favorite things it's about.

It's called Hidden in Plain Sight and it's about camouflage and invisibility.

We did a fire making class back in.

Was it back in March?

We learned some friction fire techniques.

We learned about natural tinder.

We also have community programs.

And that's the other part of my role here as the community programs manager, is developing programs for our families to participate in, and also the broader community.

Back in December, we had a Lantern festival, so we came and made lanterns and did a lantern walk, just celebrating the traditions that celebrate light during the dark time of the year.

We have a big fall festival where families come to the land.

We have all kinds of fall themed activities.

We had a big chili cookoff as part of that.

We run Rooted in Wonder every summer.

This will be our third summer running that.

That's a personal and professional development opportunity.

We have a Teen Mentor and training program where kids who have come up and been in the program then get to step into mentorship with the younger students.

We're currently planning for a teen mental health pilot program for next year.

This will be a trauma informed program, so we're working with the Naropa Nature Based Counseling program.

So it's a nature based therapeutic group for teens where they get together, they meet after school regularly, and then once a month, have these all day special outings.

And this is going to serve people who have the least access to one nature, connection experiences and especially mental health support center.

I just really feel I really feel like it's a safe space where I can really be myself.

Being outside.

And.

Helping.

Me appreciate the things that are around me that I see every day so much more.

Many things that used to be free are now monetized, so that's a big barrier.

We give over $50,000 in scholarships to families.

About 70% of people that attend our programs attend either for free or for reduced cost.

Nature, connection and community heals.

The center has helped me grow by having just a space where you can talk freely.

Even like when you mess up pretty bad.

It's fun.

It has probably helped me with my relationships.

For helping me maybe open up.

Share more.

I have one.

This place is very chaotic.

It's the healing that doesn't come just from an individual level.

It's a healing that comes from a collective level.

You keep going.

You did a great job.

Wow.

This summer.

And.

You guys.

We hope you've enjoyed this showcase of our work.

We're excited to report there is already a new group working with the PBS 12 Colorado team.

And they're out gathering great stories right now.

But none of this would be possible without viewers like you.

We want to close tonight by saying thank you.

Thank.

You, thank you for this amazing opportunity.

Yeah.

My role is PBS 12.

It's gonna be a disaster.

I was my head.

I've decided.

The.

Zit is so.

Big because.

Of.

All.

The memories.

I've held.

My name is Laney Smith.

My name is Sean Birmingham.

My name is Danielle Driscoll.

I go by D. My name is Carmen Guerrero.

My name is Nathan Matthews.

And I am.

Thrilled.

To be a part.

Of the.

First ever cohort.

Of interns.

Here at PBS.

12 in the Creator Academy.

My time here at PBS 12 has been really great.

Being a part of the Creator.

Academy, we've.

Been.

Able to.

Kind of put our hands on a bunch of different things.

I had a really good time going to the film festival up in Golden.

I, I love Golden as a city.

It's made me think very differently about what I plan to do in the future.

Like, I was always really nervous that I was bothering people when I sent like, cold emails.

And now I'm like.

You want to be interviewed?

I definitely have learned a lot about like how to get a quick story, learn how hard it is and how prepared you need to be.

The Creative Academy gives you a variety of things that you've never had before, whether it's going to school or just working on your own.

You get to you get to broadcast your own projects.

Being able to pitch my own story ideas was really exciting for me.

Right off the bat, I, I like to think of myself as a really creative person.

So being able to take a story from ground zero and make it my own, but like have input from other interns and our mentors and having this like really hands on group experience, like from start to finish, is like the best part of this entire experience.

And I think that I've learned here from PBS is organization.

That's something that I definitely lacked beforehand.

And the staff here gave me the tools that allowed me to become better at organization.

I think coming out of film school, this was a really great thing.

To.

Jump into and do, to kind of keep me moving on that path.

So once you get out of school, you're.

Like.

But this was really helpful for kind of staying on.

That's why I would recommend this to anybody who's like, what's my next step in my creative career?

What?

I think I'm walking away from this program with is definitely, definitely confidence.

Confidence in my own ability to go out, connect with people, reach out for stories.

I would say I'm a lot more confident in it, though.

I feel like.

My confidence has grown so much while being here, like it progresses every time I walk into this office, like just talking to the other interns, talking to people around the studio like it's it's half of the challenge here is like knowing yourself all enough to then go telling someone else, tell someone else's story.

Not great with cameras.

I'm not.

The most knowledgeable with.

How to edit.

And so I think my time here has really showed.

Me.

That.

Yes.

Those things are important, but the.

Biggest.

Thing that drives the story is the story.

I would say anybody that's interested in in telling stories and looking to experiment with with telling stories, this is your place to come.

The one thing I would say to the next group of entrance is be motivated, be excited.

I would just love to say.

Thank.

You to.

The.

Donors for.

The.

Creator Academy.

This was an incredible experience and I feel a lot more ready.

I am extremely thankful for the donors because obviously this program wouldn't exist without you guys.

It has been a space where I've grown so much.

I've said that, but I'll say it over and over again.

Without your help, this room exist and I hope it keeps going for a. Long time.

Yeah, I'd like to say thank you to the donors for making this experience possible.

Shout out to the donors.

They're they're the homies.

They're the real G's.

I just want to say thank you so much to all the donors who helped sponsor the Creative Academy.

It has really helped growing entrepreneurs like myself to kind of figure out what I want to do, as well as to just grow my own skill set.

So I want to say a big shout out to you guys.

Thank you guys so much for all of you guys, all that you have done.