Fall 2023 DoCo YouthCharge

Douglas County YouthCharge Mission Statement:

Our mission is to drive positive change for youth in Colorado in the areas of mental health, antisemitism, and gun violence.

Mental Health

The Douglas County YouthCharge board believes that mental health in Colorado is a serious and prevalent problem, especially among youth, most of whom do not have access to and are not receiving mental health care. With only 22% of youth in Colorado who have a mental illness receiving care, we believe that awareness on this issue has to be spread. 

Antisemitism

Hate crimes, specifically antisemitic incidents, have unfortunately increased in recent years. The Anti-Defamation League has tracked an increasing number of harassment, vandalistic attacks, and incidents related to anti-semitism, which peaked in 2022. Within our local communities, there is a severe need to raise awareness and support those affected by these disheartening trends.

Gun Violence

This topic is prevalent in today's society and worldwide, but we are mainly seeing this in schools. It has escalated throughout the U.S.; however, Colorado's youth have been the most affected. This is shown in articles by "Every Town For Gun Safety" and "ABC News," where they claim that "guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens in Colorado" and the staggering fact that there "have been more mass shootings than days in 2023".