Programs

Building on the Community Internship and Youth Engagement work started in Southeast Colorado a decade ago, we aim to broaden the focus to enable a wider and more sustained impact. Our work includes collaborative work in a variety of areas.

Grow SECO is an initiative of Ogallala Commons (OC) for Southeast Colorado
Grow SECO is an initiative of Ogallala Commons (OC) for Southeast Colorado
Grow SECO is an initiative of Ogallala Commons (OC) for Southeast Colorado
Grow SECO is an initiative of Ogallala Commons (OC) for Southeast Colorado
Grow SECO is an initiative of Ogallala Commons (OC) for Southeast Colorado
Grow SECO is an initiative of Ogallala Commons (OC) for Southeast Colorado
Grow SECO is an initiative of Ogallala Commons (OC) for Southeast Colorado
Grow SECO is an initiative of Ogallala Commons (OC) for Southeast Colorado
Grow SECO is an initiative of Ogallala Commons (OC) for Southeast Colorado
Grow SECO is an initiative of Ogallala Commons (OC) for Southeast Colorado
Grow SECO is an initiative of Ogallala Commons (OC) for Southeast Colorado

Entrepreneurship Camps

Our entrepreneurship camps offer hands-on learning opportunities for middle school and high school youth to explore business ownership as a career opportunity. Youth interact with successful entrepreneurs as they design their own business ventures.

E-Fair

Grow SECO’s E-Fair provides middle school and high school students an opportunity to showcase their ideas for business that could work in their home communities. A team of local investors awards cash prizes to the top contestants.

E-Club

The E-Club is a 12-month immersive learning opportunity for high school youth to explore entrepreneurship as a career path. Youth interact with successful entrepreneurs as they design their own business ventures. E-Club features a self-paced online course, monthly Zoom calls to connect and collaborate with peers, and bi-monthly check-ins with one-on-one community entrepreneur mentors.

Commonwealth Academy

The Commonwealth Academy engages youth and young adults in exploring their local heritage through community tours, storytelling, and digging deeper into 12 Key Assets of Commonwealth as potential career paths.

Community Internships

Grow SECO’s Community Internships include high school and college-level students across Southeast Colorado. The interns work with Ogallala Commons, local educators, and community leaders to gain knowledge and hands-on work experience in community development, youth leadership, and hometown career opportunities.

Arkansas Valley Foodshed Development

Our Arkansas Valley Foodshed project is part of a larger “emerging foodsheds” project. A foodshed is a geographic region that produces the food for a particular population. A foodshed is analogous to a watershed in that foodsheds outline the flow of food feeding a particular region, whereas watersheds outline the flow of water draining to a particular location.