ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the establishment, organizational structure, funding sources and engagement techniques for a child and youth engagement program called Growing Up Boulder (GUB), focusing on the strong partnerships at its core. Founded in 2009, GUB empowers Boulder's children and adolescents by providing opportunities for inclusion, influence and deliberation on local issues that affect their lives. GUB operates in Boulder, Colorado, an American city of approximately 100,000 people nestled at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Soon after GUB was established, the three key partner organizations created and signed an auto-renewing memorandum of understanding (MOU). The MOU focuses on relationships between the partners and deliberately does not involve funding to avoid being constrained by economic fluctuations. The chapter provides an overview of the organizational structure of GUB and describes the roles played by various stakeholder groups. Based on GUB's six years of experience, the majority of GUB projects now take place in school classrooms and in after-school programs.
