Inside a unique program that lets high school students shape Colorado state law

In The NoCo

Inside a unique program that lets high school students shape Colorado state law

By In The NoCo,

Erin O'Toole, Ariel Lavery, Brad Turner

Published May 1, 2025 at 5:35 AM MDT

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Courtesy of Brenda Morrison

"Senator (Ellen) Roberts from Durango noted that the legislators spend a lot of time discussing bills, discussing issues that impact young people, but young people had very little say in these matters," said Brenda Morrison, program manager of the Colorado Youth Advisory Council. The program gives high school students from across the state a voice in the legislative process.

Some of Colorado鈥檚 state laws share an unusual origin story.

One set aside money to help foster kids attend college. Another provides free menstrual products in schools. A third law funded an awareness program to prevent eating disorders.

All of these are , who actually drafted the language of each bill before legislators ultimately approved them.

The , or COYAC, has allowed high school students in the program to meet with lawmakers to discuss issues that affect young people. And those students managed to write .

State lawmakers in recent months considered defunding COYAC amid a statewide budget crunch of about $1.2 billion. They ultimately opted to set aside $50,000 in funding so the students can continue to work with lawmakers 鈥� although they鈥檒l .

Erin O鈥橳oole spoke with Brenda Morrison, who oversees COYAC, about the program, which began in 2008 as the brainchild of a state legislator from Durango.

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In The NoCo

皇冠网址's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Erin O'Toole

As the host of 皇冠网址鈥檚 new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

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Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University鈥檚 NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family鈥檚 financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

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Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in 皇冠网址's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

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