Mile High 360

Background Statement

In 2007, Denver was identified as the location for 9th National Urban Squash and Education Association (NUSEA) program, and in 2008, with the support of Mayor Hickenlooper, The Anschutz Foundation, The Denver Athletic Club, The Hashim Khan Foundation, and a dedicated group of leaders, Mile High 360 (as Mile High Squash) was launched. Housed at the Denver Athletic Club, Mile High 360 started with a group of fifth and sixth graders from Bryant Webster Dual Language K-8 School and added a new group of sixth grade students each fall for five years. In the fall of 2014, Mile High 360 had students in grades eight through twelve and had been unable, due to constraints of its physical campus, to accept a new class of students for two years. Essentially, Mile High 360 had reached a limit.

The Evolution of Mile High 360

In 2014, Mile High 360 began preparing for a shift in its design to expand the number of students served, resulting in a stronger organization with improved stability and sustainability for generations to come. While squash breathed life into the organization and the greater squash community has done an outstanding job of supporting it, cycling represented a unique opportunity. The Boulder/Denver area is arguably the cycling mecca of the United States. From professionals to enthusiasts, the roads are clogged with cyclists who consider cycling a way of life. This, combined with the fact that cycling is done outdoors and therefore needs no additional indoor space for the sport, made linking biking to the organization's existing educational aims a natural progression here in Denver.

There is not a youth-development program in the Denver metro area that uses cycling in the way that Mile High 360 uses it. There are biking programs, to be sure, but there isn't a program that intentionally uses cycling as the anchor of an educational program to help first-generation students create a viable pathway to college. This program expansion brought the cycling community's passion to the aid of the students who are ready to expand their dreams.

In 2021, Mile High 360 moved to the Neighborhood House located at 1265 Mariposa St. This new home provides a safe and secure place for students to come for our out-of-school time programming, daily exercise with afternoon bike rides, mental health support, healthy meals and snacks, as well as formalized monthly nutrition classes that instruct students on preparing nutritious meals and snacks for themselves and family members.

Mile High 360 provides a family liaison to work with families around food security and self-reliance coaching that is intended to assist parents and caregivers in creating paths to a strong, stable and enduring lifestyle through education, employment advances and supports that make self-sufficiency a reality.