Nominations are now being accepted for the 2024 Outstanding Youth Awards.
Click here to submit your nomination.
Nominations are due by 5 p.m. on March 29, 2024.
The Douglas County Youth Initiative was established in 2005 to coordinate local youth-serving efforts and assess the needs of the County’s youngest residents. It is an active collaboration between Douglas County Government, the Douglas County School District, the City of Castle Pines, the City of Lone Tree, the Town of Castle Rock, the Town of Parker, the Douglas County Library District, and the Highlands Ranch Metro District.
The Youth Award is an award that recognizes teenagers between the ages of 13 and 19 who have overcome personal adversity and created positive change in their lives. The awards program provides business, community, and civic leaders an opportunity to actively demonstrate their belief and support for the young people in our community.
Teens need recognition and support. In these days when much of the press about teenagers is negative, this Youth Award focuses on teenagers who have triumphed over great odds and serve as inspirations and role models. If you know young people who would be good candidates for the Youth Award, please help us identify them by completing the nomination form.
In describing your nominee, please be specific as to why you think your nominee should receive this award. As you fill out the form, keep in mind that the more information you include, the easier it will be for the screening committee to recognize what makes these young people so special. We realize that some of the information may be sensitive. Please indicate if any of the information needs to be kept confidential.
Please note: If a parent is nominating their child, please note that the screening committee requires at least one non-family member to provide a letter of support. These letters can be from a teacher, coach, neighbor, a professional involved in their life, etc.
Award Recipient Reception
After the selection of nomination forms, recipients and their families and nominators will be invited to a dessert reception to be held in April.
The mission of the Youth Award
To identify and recognize 10 teenagers who reside in Douglas County, who have overcome obstacles and risen to the challenges life has presented.
The Youth Award is unique because it recognizes youth who have overcome difficult situations in their lives by making positive changes and by exhibiting strength and determination in the face of adversity. The young people we recognize have had a positive influence on themselves and those around them and often have not had any official recognition.
This one-of-a-kind award encompasses all youth: youth who have not finished school, youth in traditional classroom settings, youth in group homes, youth in alternative schools, youth in foster homes and emancipated youth.
