Programs and Workshops

The Colorado AgrAbility Project is a partnership between Colorado State University Extension and Goodwill Industries of Colorado to provide educational workshops, resources, and direct services to farmers, ranchers, agricultural workers, and their families with disabilities, illnesses, or conditions.

Watch this video to learn more about the impact of Colorado AgrAbility. 

The COMET™ (Changing Our Mental and Emotional Trajectory) Training Workshop teaches participants skills and strategies to use when they encounter someone who is in a “vulnerable space” and may have mental or emotional issues. The communication strategies taught in this program help people know how to address mental health concerns and shift an individual’s trajectory back to a place of wellness instead of proceeding towards a mental health crisis. 

Dad and Me! Learn to Make… is a program that is open to everyone, but is specifically designed for dads to attend with their children. For little or no cost, attendees will spend time making something. Whether its making cookies, slime, or painting a picture, creating a product with another person helps establish close bonds while stimulating healthy conversation and creativity!

The Equitbable Parenting for Healthy Kids Program offers education and insights for families with children experiencing, or people supporting those experiencing, divorce. Parents, teachers, and family members that are directly serving families through a divorce transition can participate in this program. Program content can also be modified to provide education to family support professionals and first responders to domestic conflicts. 

The content of the program has three primary areas of focus:

• The impacts of trauma and divorce on children physiologically and socially
• Developing an understanding of the importance of equitable parenting to mitigate negative impacts
• Practical solutions for understanding and supporting children as they encounter difficult and stressful transitions in their family

FEWER CO (Fostering Emotional Wellbeing, Empathy and Resilience in Colorado) is a pilot program addressing suicide prevention and lethal means safety in rural communities. FEWER trains communities how to counties how to:

1) Recognize a mental health crisis,

2) Reach out to someone who might be having thoughts of suicide

3) Respond by creating a safety plan

Contact Calandra Lindstadt, Western Regional Health Specialist, if you have questions or would like to bring this training to your community.

Expressing gratitude is associated with a host of health benefits including reduced stress, improved sleep, decreased depression, anxiety, and even chronic pain. Gratitude in Nature is a program that introduces the concept and benefits of gratitude and teaches strategies to incorporate gratitude into daily life.  

Health Without Barriers is a program designed to serve families with teens. The content of the program focuses on nutrition, cooking skills, physical activity, goal setting, and mindfulness. The program is designed to help teens cope with stress and reduce risk for type 2 diabetes. Parenting strategies are also taught to engage adult participants. 

Research has found that houseplants make people happier and healthier. Having houseplants may help reduce anxiety and stress and can increase one’s ability to concentrate. Houseplant Heroes is a program that introduces participants to the basics of taking care of houseplants. Through crafting, plant identification, and research, participants will learn the ins, outs, and benefits of integrating houseplants into their lives.   

Spending time in nature and practicing mindfulness are both linked to cognitive benefits and improved mood, mental health, and emotional well-being. The Nature Journaling & Mindfulness program engages participants in the exploration of strategies that connect them with the natural environment. By providing space for these health-promoting activities, participants will gain helpful tools that aid in advancing their overall well-being. 

Strengthening Families 10-14 is an evidence-based program that has served families across the globe. This seven-session program for families with young adolescents aims to strengthen family protection and resilience-building processes and reduce family risk related to adolescent substance abuse and other problem behaviors. The weekly two-hour sessions include separate parent and child skills-building followed by a family session where parents and children practice the skills they have learned independently, work on conflict resolution and communication, and engage in activities to increase family cohesiveness and positive involvement of the child in the family.

The Coffee Break Project is a social support program developed with local community partners. It offers weekly opportunities for rural adults to gather and network over a cup of coffee and donuts, providing informal support around mental health and social connection.

The Ripple Effect is a brief youth mental health intervention adapted from the 4-H approved, Your Thoughts Matter curriculum, that you can insert easily into any program. These three, 30-45 minute modules are designed as a brief mental health intervention for ages 12-17 that can be incorporated into a current program as a bite-sized or “snackable” introductory approach to the concept of mental health. Each module is a complete package containing activities, resources, and discussion prompts to help youth explore concepts related to mental health and self-care.

Dollar Works 2 is a comprehensive personal financial education program. It includes knowledge, tools, and strategies for teaching  about personal finances.

This program is available in Spanish.

Money Habitudes is a fun interactive and constructive way to learn about our habits and attitudes (Habitudes) about money. Participants will discover the how, why, and when they spend, save, give, or invest. This program promotes conversations with partners/families to encourage positive financial relationship skills. For ages 12 and up. Family participation is encouraged

There are habitudes cards for teens, young adult, adults & Spanish adults

The Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate? Program helps families address common decision making obstacles when passing on personal possessions. The transfer of non-titled property such as photographs and other family heirlooms often creates more challenges among family members than the transfer of titled property. This workshop shows how to deal with some of the issues that may arise. It is filled with hands-on worksheets, practical suggestions, proven strategies, and real-life stories.

Eat Well/Comer Bien is a one-time workshop that can be completed in 1.5 hours. The workshop teaches participants how to prepare nutritious food on a budget and provides ingredients for healthy, seasonal recipes to try at home.

This program has materials available in Spanish.

EFNEP assists participants, especially those who are low-income, in developing the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors necessary for following proper nutrition guidelines. This program also engages participants in personal development strategies and teaches adults how to support the well-being of their family.

EFNEP is a Federal Extension (community outreach) program that currently operates through the 1862 and 1890 Land-Grant Universities (LGUs) in every state, the District of Columbia, and the six U.S. territories. Learn more about the impacts of EFNEP nationwide.

Family Learn and Grow is a program with sessions occurring once per month. The program is designed for children in 3rd-5th grade and their families. Participants will engage in hands-on activities to learn about plants, pollinators, and nutritious foods. It can also be offered in Spanish.

Garden to Kitchen is a program that aims to provide beginner Colorado gardeners tools to confidently, safely, and successfully:

1) Grow some of their own produce on a limited budget with limited outdoor space 

2) Prepare and enjoy self-grown, quality produce to help improve accessibility, affordability, and consumption of local, quality produce as part of a healthy diet.

Garden to Kitchen is a series of four classes with each class focusing on learning about a different vegetable.

Join Meal Planning with Confidence to learn about planning meals to save time and money while benefiting health. In this class we will review the many benefits of meal planning. We’ll discuss the basic steps for creating and organizing a meal plan and create a customized one-week menu and shopping list based on your meal plan. Class handouts include a meal planning and shopping list template and five master recipe guides for pasta, frittata, soup, casserole and stir-fry meals.

Advance Care Planning is a program that helps individuals learn how to discuss and prepare for future decisions about their medical care if they become seriously ill or unable to communicate their wishes. The process helps ensure that individuals take the right steps when sharing advance directives with appropriate family, friends, and health care providers. 

The Aging Mastery Program (AMP) is a 10-week program designed to help older adults embrace aging through 90-minute classes that teach participants how to live better, longer, and healthier while strengthening ties to their community. Watch this video to learn about the impact AMP has had in Colorado.

AMP is now being offered in seven languages in Colorado: English, Spanish, Amharic, Tigrinya, West African French, Arabic, and Kiswahili.

If you are interested in offering AMP in your community, please fill out this form.

The DAWN (Dementia & Alzheimer’s Wellbeing Network) Method® Training Program is an 8-week series for families of loved ones diagnosed with dementia. The program utilizes a kind, strength-based, person-centered approach to dementia care that trains families and caregivers to capitalize on the skills dementia does not take away. It provides education about specific tools and strategies to meet emotional needs of people living with dementia and empowers caregivers to create supportive home environments. 

Learn about some of The DAWN Method’s nationwide efforts. 

Market Days for Older Adults is a program that addresses food insecurity among older adults while supporting local agriculture. Participants receive $15 worth of fresh produce every other week from June through October. This program is made successful by a partnership between CSU Extension and community-based-organizations who identify program participants and distribute the food packages across the county.

This program is currently only available in Larimer County. Learn about Larimer County’s successful implementation of Market Days for Older Adults.  

Can eating well help you maintain your independence as you age? The answer is Yes! In this one-time workshop, we’ll provide strategies you can use to eat healthy as you age and share some delicious recipes! We’ll discuss key nutrients to consider including in your diet, how to identify nutrient-dense foods, ways to avoid dehydration, how to make healthy food choices and how eating healthy will help you feel better and maintain your independence.  

Powerful Tools for Caregivers is an evidence-based, six-week program that provides caregivers with resources and strategies to take better care of themselves while caring for a friend or relative.

Learn more about how this program has been successfully implemented nationwide.

The Smoothie Workshop is a one-time educational session that teaches older adults about various nutritional needs that come with aging. Smoothies are a great way for individuals to get proper nutrients, especially if they have chewing or swallowing challenges or struggle with poor appetite. This workshop is great for all but especially for anyone aged 50-plus, caretakers, or health professionals that work with aging adults. The workshop includes opportunities for participants to make their own and sample smoothies, meal prep tips, recipes, and nutrition education. 

The Stress-Busting Program (SBP) for Family Caregivers ™ is an evidence-based program that provides support to family caregivers of persons with dementia or a chronic illness.  It is proven to:

• Improve the quality of life of family caregivers who are providing care to an older loved one
• Help caregivers manage their stress and cope better with their lives

StrongPeople is a national initiative with an overarching goal of promoting a culture of health and supporting health equity. It is comprised of 4 unique programs with varying content areas:

• StrongPeople: Strong Bodies Program
• StrongPeople: Living Well Program
• StrongPeople: Strong Hearts Program
• StrongPeople: Change Club Program

Community leaders can become facilitators for each of the StrongPeople programs. Learn more about bringing StrongPeople to your community.

Dining with Diabetes is a program comprised of 4 weekly classes that provide participants with nutrition education, social/peer support, meal planning strategies, and proper cooking practices that help to manage diabetes. Classes include classroom-style education, food demonstrations/samples, hands-on cooking practice, and physical activity tips.

This program can be delivered in Spanish and English.

EFNEP assists participants, especially those who are low-income, in developing the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors necessary for following proper nutrition guidelines. This program also engages participants in personal development strategies and teaches adults how to support the well-being of their family.

EFNEP is a Federal Extension (community outreach) program that currently operates through the 1862 and 1890 Land-Grant Universities (LGUs) in every state, the District of Columbia, and the six U.S. territories. Learn more about the impacts of EFNEP nationwide.

The Mediterranean Diet Workshop is a one-time educational session that teaches participants how to incorporate the Mediterranean Diet eating pattern into their daily lives. Benefits of following the Mediterranean Diet, include:

• Reduced risk of heart disease and stroke
• Reduced risk of cancer
• Improved brain and gut health

Teens have unique nutritional needs in order to fuel their growing bodies. However, teens who are involved in competitive sports may have additional needs in order to maintain their performance and still provide their body with the proper energy and nutrition for growth. A teen’s needs may vary slightly depending on their sex, age, body size, and activity level. This workshop helps teens and parents develop a plan for proper nutrition. 

Read about nutrition for teen atheletes here.