High Desert Devo Inc

High Desert DEVO (HDD) is a youth cycling club with a focus on physical/mental health and mentorship that empowers local youth, utilizing trails on the public lands of Southwestern Colorado. HDD programming is designed to reach youth at a crucial stage in personal growth, fostering positive self-talk and healthy core values to become confident, healthier, more connected young people. At High Desert DEVO we emphasize the importance of connecting physical activity with mental health as a lifelong pursuit. High Desert DEVO prioritizes creating a safe space that encourages individuality, personal growth, and fun.

HDD has a variety of well-established, age-based after-school programs in the Spring, Summer, and Fall seasons for ages 3 - 18, as well as new programming in partnership with local schools' PE & Outdoor Education instructors in Towaoc (Kwiyagat Community Academy), Mancos (High School Outdoor Edu), and Dove Creek (4th - 12th Grade PE). We provide no-questions-asked scholarships at a minimum of 50% off registrations fees, as well as loaner equipment for families that may not be able to participate without financial help. We hope to increase our scholarship funds--through efforts such as CO Gives--to enable our organization to provide more scholarships to more families at higher percentages. 

Mentorship: We believe the investment in youth today will bear fruit in the form of well-adjusted leaders for the community tomorrow. Benefits of mentorship have included: positive academic outcomes, healthier relationships and lifestyle choices, better attitudes at school and home, enhanced self-esteem, self-confidence, improved interpersonal skills, and a lower likelihood of initiating drug and alcohol use. Our coaches’ number one priority is positive youth development through mentorship in the outdoors. They attend training focused on positive youth development, bike skills, and first aid. Understanding the value of practice, HDD youth mentorship program provides the opportunity for students to sign up as a youth mentor, allowing them to ride along with younger groups and develop their own leadership and mentoring capacity. This experience as a mentor has shown to give students a sense of accomplishment, an opportunity to exercise their emotional intelligence, and the ability to improve on the lessons they are currently learning. 

Importance of outdoor play!

Do you remember the times in recess or knocking on your neighbors’ door to play outside? Now more than ever, students have increasingly more pressure on them in school and more distractions with TV and video games leaving them with less time to get outside. Studies have shown the benefits of outdoor play for the brain development of young children. We understand the importance of giving kids the space where they can, simply, be a kid. As we are having fun on the trails they will learn about their peers, themselves, and the world we get to play in.