The Colorado Project to Visit San Luis Valley on Rural Learning Tour

Colorado – From August 13–15, 2025, a diverse group of leaders from across Colorado will convene in the San Luis Valley as part of the Colorado Project’s Rural Learning Tour. The Colorado Project is a statewide initiative designed to advance shared prosperity and inclusive, sustainable growth in all regions of Colorado. It is convened by the Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs and the Scrivner Institute of Public Policy at the University of Denver.

Now in its second iteration, the Colorado Project is focusing on the distinctive challenges rural communities face and the innovative, locally driven solutions they are generating. The Rural Learning Tour seeks to elevate this ingenuity, highlighting creative interventions in cost of living, sustainability, economic mobility, and entrepreneurship.

The San Luis Valley convening will spotlight organizations and initiatives in rural healthcare, food systems, affordable housing, and environmental stewardship, among others. There will also be a special focus on youth engagement and workforce readiness. Aaron Miltenberger, one of the co-hosts of this convening and President & CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the San Luis Valley, emphasizes the importance of youth engagement in efforts like this: “Investing in our kids isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s how we build a stronger rural economy. When young people in the San Luis Valley get real skills, strong mentors, and the confidence to lead, they come back as nurses in Alamosa, teachers in Antonito, and business owners in Monte Vista. That’s how we grow—by investing in our own.”

Participants will visit Alamosa, Center, Monte Vista, and Mosca over the three days to tour a food distribution hub, learn about the revitalization of Main Street in Alamosa, meet with agricultural producers leveraging tech solutions for more sustainable production, and hear directly from community leaders from institutions like Adams State University, San Luis Valley Health, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of the San Luis Valley. Colorado Project participant Kurt Walker, a Korbel School alum and Ranch Manager at Pine Canyon Ranch, remarks “The San Luis Valley is proof that when we center equity and innovation, rural places can lead Colorado’s future.”

The San Luis Valley visit follows a successful convening in Sterling in June to better understand the context of northeastern Colorado. Following Alamosa, the Learning Tour will travel to Steamboat Springs and the Yampa Valley (October 8–10), where the conversation will turn to recreation-based economies and conservation finance. Each stop reveals distinct regional strengths, but the tour’s goal is unified: uncovering shared solutions for both rural and statewide prosperity across Colorado.