Denver Kids in the 2000s

Providing Stability for Students

For 80 years, Denver Kids has walked alongside tens of thousands of students, through opportunities and challenges that varied dramatically for each cohort and each generation. In honor of our anniversary, we're sharing stories and highlights from each decade of our history. Click here to check out the highlights we've already shared.

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Just as in previous decades, the 2000s brought a new set of challenges, changes, and opportunities for students in Denver to navigate.

At the start of the new millennium, the internet was growing at an exponential pace, cable TV was a staple in many American homes, and the 24-hour news cycle was the new norm. Americans had access to information like never before. The 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, coupled with constant access to news updates, served as a catalyst in changing parenting norms as parental anxiety around children's safety rose.

Meanwhile, Denver Public Schools was changing with the times. Following the federal No Child Left Behind Act (2002), schools became focused more on testing, accountability, and performance. American society saw a shift towards an achievement culture, where families had less children and invested more time into their kids' successes. Students were navigating more structured, high-pressure academic environments. In 2007, DPS introduced the “Denver Plan,” a major reform effort aimed at improving achievement, increasing graduation rates, and better preparing students for college and careers, reinforcing the shift toward achievement culture.

Students in the 2000s suddenly had internet access never seen before, higher pressures at home and at school, and by the end of the decade, many were also dealing with instability brought on by the 2008 Recession. All of these factors only reinforced the need for programs like Denver Kids, which provided students not only with a one-to-one adult relationship to discuss all of these challenges, but also opportunities and activities that allowed students to just be kids.

Alumni from this decade often recall fond memories of ski or camping trips made possible by Denver Kids. For many students, these kinds of recreational activities were otherwise inaccessible due to transportation needs and the cost to participate. Providing these kinds of new experiences for students is still a value Denver Kids strives toward today.

Denver Kids Alum, Deja'von shared, "One Denver Kids experience I hold near and dear to my heart would be the outdoor experience at Winter Park and learning how to snowboard. It opened the doorway for a city kid to expand my horizons and do something productive and fun outside. I carried it into my adult life and enjoy doing amazing experiences in the outdoors."

Denver Kids spent the 2000s meeting students where they were at, and helping them see a successful future amidst a very challenging world. During this time, Denver Kids refined its focus on career development, establishing first a pilot and then a full-time team to help our students find meaningful internships, and planting the seeds for what would become our Youth Pathways Program, a foundational aspect of meeting the long-term planning goals of the students we serve.

The decade was defined by students navigating a world that was more connected digitally and heavily supervised, while also experiencing lingering economic anxiety and the newfound safety-first mentality from the post-9/11 shift.

With different circumstances, but the same core needs as our students in 1946, young people in the 2000s needed someone to believe in them, hold them accountable, and provide stability even when the world felt upside down. This need shaped the mission of Denver Kids, throughout the first decade of the 21st century.

Be on the lookout each month as we highlight success stories of each decade!

Interested in learning more about Denver Kids history? Check out previous decade highlights at DenverKids.org/News, or find our 80 year timeline here: DenverKids.Org/80Years.