tonight on studio 12.

We're digging into Denver's growing interest in urban compost ING.

Plus, what Juneteenth means to the family behind the iconic Welton Street Cafe.

And on Colorado Inside Out.

What happens when a city refuses to recognize Pride Month?

While a statewide theater guild breaks ground with a first in the nation move to celebrate it all that and more right now on studio 12.

From the Five Points Media Center in the heart of Denver, Colorado.

This is studio 12.

Hi, I'm bazi kanani.

Urban composting is becoming more popular in Denver.

And if you have no idea how to start, don't worry.

Jungle Judy's got you covered.

She's teaching people how to make healthy soil.

And we caught up with her at Denver Urban Gardens for our own private lesson.

Check it out.

So Denver Urban Gardens.

We are one of the largest nonprofit, independent community garden organizations in the US.

Hi.

My name is Judy Elliott.

I'm director of Compost and Garden Education with Denver Urban Gardens.

I actually I go by Jungle Judy.

So Jungle Judy came for the time many, many years ago when I spent four years in the Peace Corps teaching integrated agriculture in Brazil.

And people just started calling me Judy of the jungle, and then it became Jungle Judy.

I'm so glad we're filming here.

It is very urban.

It is very loud.

When we teach compost classes, we have microphones to drown out the noise.

I mean, it's part of it, isn't it?

I mean, it's just urban garden.

You know, we're right here in Colorado, but what we have here are a series of compost bins.

And I like to say that no matter what you use, if you use a cement bin, this is a holding structure.

If you use our little pallet bins here, these are turning systems.

No matter what type of holding structure you use, the process is the same for creating compost.

And in organic gardening that we do, compost is the decomposed product.

After time, with the help of microorganisms, microorganisms to create really healthy soil.

How do you do it?

We like to say that there were.

It's just like five conditions for you to thrive.

We need a diverse diet and water and exercise and a roof over our head.

And voila!

Our compost bin, which is basically a cubic yards of diameter, is the home, the minimum diameter that our compost microorganisms need.

It needs a diverse diet.

So diverse diet means that we use leaves from the fall.

No meat, fat, cheese or bones belongs in a compost pile.

You need to provide air so we turn the pile every two weeks, 2 to 3in of green material, a sprinkling of soil.

Turn it on a weekly basis.

Keep it as moist as a wrung out sponge.

That's the water that we need.

So the microorganisms body needs to be covered.

When we started this pile, this was April 26th and it didn't look anything like it did now.

So this is what it looks like now.

But look how pretty it is.

It's got some old flowers of larkspur in.

So a compost pile can be very beautiful.

You can see it already is some material that's starting to break down.

This is April 26th.

In about two months I'm going to have usable compost here, which is pretty amazing.

I would say that most people in Denver, unless you're living in Aurora, you're dealing with a heavy clay soil.

Can I really grow anything here?

The roots don't go down.

It cracks when it's dry.

How do I grow in your soils?

And what you need to know is you're never going to not have a heavy clay soil.

What you need to do is an inch and a half of that wonderful plant based compost that you're creating right at home.

Spread it on top of your soil before you turn it in the spring, and dig it into the top two inches.

That's what you need to do.

This is a plot which has compost spread up on top of it.

Before this garden is ready to plant, the compost needs to be dug into the top.

Couple of inches.

In other words, don't leave it as a top dressing needs to be incorporated in.

You even get a tour of the worm box today.

Would you like to see what we have in here?

And let's dig down and see if we can't find anything.

This is richer in all major and minor nutrients than even backyard composting is.

Isn't this beautiful?

Look at this stuff.

This is to die for.

It really is.

Yes, you can buy commercial, good quality compost, but doing your own at home is a way of knowing exactly sourcing locally, decreasing your carbon footprint because material doesn't need to travel unless you know exactly what went into the product that you're producing.

I love if I get ten people to say, yes, I can do this, then I'll feel like we're doing just a fabulous job.

I dug.

Yes.

We can do this later in the show.

Learn why Denver Urban Gardens, or Doug, as it's called for short, is one of the largest independent networks of food producing gardens in the country.

to learn more about Denver Urban Gardens and how to start your own compost bin.

Head to debug.org.

Welton Street Cafe is more than just a Denver institution.

It's a symbol of history, community and resilience in the heart of the Five Points neighborhood.

We're also proud to say they're our neighbor here at PBS 12 before the Juneteenth Music Festival on Sunday.

We sat down with Doctor Erica Dickerson, a professor at Metro State whose family runs and owns the Welton Street Cafe.

Erica told us what Juneteenth means to her and to her family's legacy, and why she feels celebrating Juneteenth is so important.

And I am black every single day.

This is my history.

Every single day.

I feel like this is something that should not be something that you do, because it's on trend.

For as long as I can remember, we've always celebrated Juneteenth on five points.

I'm just now having this memory of when I was in sixth grade, and I was talking to one of my black classmates.

He's like, man, I can't wait till till Juneteenth.

And they in and there was a white classmate and said, well, what is Juneteenth?

And we're like, nah, that's the black people's holiday.

Right.

And so that's how I always understood it.

I didn't actually know the true meaning of it until many, many years later.

And so to me, it's always just been a time for black people to come together, celebrate, food.

I like to think of it especially with the the festival and everything is food, festivities and fun.

Right.

And so we can celebrate culture around that.

Food is always something, that people are able to celebrate culture around.

Music is also another thing people are able to celebrate, culture around.

And so, like, those are the two things that are most prominent to me.

And, you know, being a business owner where we do food, we like to share culture with people through food.

It's delicious.

So we primarily to, southern, American cuisine, but with a little Caribbean twist.

You can't go wrong with anything on the menu.

We also have a bar, and we have some, a couple of, island, themed beverages on there as well.

Now, being a federally recognized holiday, state holiday, city holiday, I feel like it has a lot more exposure.

And so people who are interested in learning about Juneteenth, can do their own research or learn about it, or patronize a black business or, come see a festival, whether you're in Denver, Colorado, or any place around the nation that has a celebration to go and learn about it.

I think one of the things that's important, particularly in this political climate now, is education.

Educating yourself on history.

Educating yourself on what's currently going on.

Educating yourself on, people that you might not normally encounter in your day to day life.

To understand what their experience is about, and to what it means to them as well.

I think it's important.

Like I said before, education is is key, but I think it's important that people, educate themselves.

365.

Don't just educate yourself because there's a holiday coming up.

Educate yourself.

365, if you're not, within the culture there, maybe learn about the culture so you can understand why celebrations such as Juneteenth are so important and crucial, and things that should be recognized and long overdue, for being recognized.

Right?

It's not just something that's for black folks.

It's for all of us.

This is American history, right?

And I just really that education piece is important because a lot of it people like, oh, that's African American history.

African American history is American history, right?

And and unless, like I think that's kind of one of the first things that we need to do is stop creating those those boxes, stop creating those barriers so that we can see each other as Americans.

Right.

And recognize our different struggles.

Yes, they are different.

But understand that this is a part of your history just as much as it is mine.

You can learn a lot just by reading a book.

You can learn a lot by reading an article.

Watching interviews.

Right?

There's so much information out there nowadays that there is no excuse as to why you don't know what Juneteenth is about.

You don't know why June 19th, 1865 is such an important date.

For black folks across the, the United States.

Our thanks to share and the Welton Street Cafe family for sharing their story with us.

For more information about Welton Street Cafe, you can go to Welton Street cafe.com.

Colorado's behavioral health system is undergoing a major transformation.

At the recent Behavioral Health Action Summit at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

Leaders from the Behavioral Health Administration or the VA shared with us how they're building a more streamlined, equitable system.

Take a look.

Many of us in the Bay are clinicians.

Many of us are policy makers, policy advisers.

But we never want to lose sight that we are doing work that is impacting real lives.

And so we welcome folks to constantly remind us that, this is talking about real people with real names, that are being impacted by the work that we are doing.

Yeah.

You know, it's important for us to highlight, our current commissioner, Dannette Smith, has only been here 14 months.

And to see the evolution of the Behavioral Health Administration just in these 14 months.

It was, we described this today as a bit of our coming out party.

Today's event, we use the word inaugural, right.

The expectation is we're going to keep doing this because we, as government right, of the people, by the people, for the people need to be held to account.

Right.

Here are the here are the things we say.

We're, we're trying to build out for this system to serve all Coloradans.

We're going to do a checkpoint on an annual basis and recalibrate.

Right.

Mistakes are going to be made.

There's going to be hiccups.

There's going to be unexpected financial turbulence that's out there.

And we're going to persevere and we're going to, you know, do that check in with our community.

I think that one of the ways that the VA is going about doing it, which is a little unique from a lot of states, is that we are launching our those behavioral health administrative service organizations.

It is a one door, front door access to receive behavioral health services.

Folks don't have to go throughout the state trying to figure out and navigate the process on their own.

It's a streamlined system, that will help people get the services they need, no matter what their insurance level.

I think one important part of the implementation approach is actually using the data that we've been collecting for decades, to inform our program evaluation and program planning.

What the research has shown us is that, behavioral the the need for behavioral health services only increased during the Covid pandemic.

And, we don't see that really plateauing right now at this particular point.

So I would say over the next five years, we as stigma is stripped from, the idea of receiving behavioral health services, not only will we see the need continue, but we will see people's willingness, to access services and seek them out.

First.

We normalize talking about it.

Right.

If someone has a physical injury, if someone has an illness like cancer, people aren't suffering in silence.

But unfortunately for behavioral health, that's too often the case.

And certainly having a robust, healthy 908 contact center, that's great that people can call at any, any time.

But breaking down that stigma is, is for people, to be able to talk about it.

And that's one of the things we've really highlighted is we want to hear from the voices of lived experience.

Think for too long, we've, we've we've listened to some people with expertise.

Usually the people with the letters after their name, that, that have gotten the higher education.

And that's important, the providers of service, that's really important.

But we have to hear from the people, that are living every day, and that are living in recovery from mental health, substance use to inform and make this system better come July 1st.

You've heard us talk a little bit about July 1st.

It's a huge, huge day for us in the Behavioral Health Administration or the VA. We will be rolling out Colorado Lives and Lives stands for linking individuals and families to services.

We will be rolling out our website.

It will be connecting Coloradans to behavioral health care.

Again, doesn't matter if you are insured, uninsured, underinsured, this you can go to this website, find exactly where you will receive services.

Get connected to a myriad of things.

I want to talk a bit about how the work that we've been doing over the past three years is really going to be activated with this launch.

So if you're familiar with this team, you know, we've been actively and rapidly building public and provider facing technology to streamline care coordination, care navigation and reduce administrative burden.

A lot of that impact hasn't really been seen yet, though.

We're really excited to activate, iterate and build upon that with this launch.

In addition, a lot of the work that we're doing with technology is improving data collection system.

So what we've understood with the data available is that, unsurprisingly, is youth, that we expect to be the highest, in terms of, of need for these services.

So particularly for mental health, minors under the age of 19, and young adults aged 19 to 44 for substance use disorder, we expect similarly younger adults aged 19 to 44 requiring those services.

The most.

And finally, I'll mention our Colorado state program.

There were expecting about 250,000 contacts for the remainder of 20, 20, 25.

And specifically looking at, we're expecting that the highest, age group that's going to require that services the age of young adults, ages 26 to 39, specifically looking for, support with interpersonal, and social stress, well-being, and suicide factors.

Youth are really at the core of, care needs.

So we need to make sure that we're focused on listening to youth, and understanding more than what the data tells us.

The data can only tell us so much.

It can tell us that the need is there.

It can tell us where the need is.

But what kind of need, and what kind of support we can offer is really where we need to take a step further and engage with youth.

Here's the challenge.

Money.

Right?

We don't have new money.

And if you read the news, there's a concern that the entire system in the future could have less money.

Nonetheless, this system by itself, will make an impact.

But let's talk about where our money comes from.

Our state agency money?

We have about 11.5 million in federal mental health dollars from our block grant.

We have a mental block grant.

We have about 14.5 million in federal discretionary funds that we manage.

We have about 21.2 million in our federal substance use disorder dollars.

Again, that's larger, largely our block grant for substance use prevention, treatment and recovery.

And then our state funding.

And again, there's lots of different colors of state funding.

It's all blue here.

You've got cash fund.

You've got general fund.

We got reappropriated fund from judicial whatever.

We have a lots of pieces, lots of different colors.

But state money is the biggest portion of our dollars and all combined over $200 million that we're able to flow through these, behavioral health administrative service organizations to build those networks, provide some financial support for the people who can't afford it and don't have insurance.

We're going to pursue this with hope and and power through with the resources we have.

If there's one message I always like to remind people, no matter what people might be going through at any given moment, is that, you know, people recover, people with mental health, people with substance use, they recover, life can and will get better.

Reach out for the help.

It'll be there for you.

Baha says this is just the beginning.

With more than $200 million being invested in the system reform, they say they're committed to keeping community needs and community voices at the forefront.

For more information, visit baha.colorado.gov.

If you or a loved one are facing a mental health challenge, there are resources available to help.

We'd like to remind teens, parents and everyone in our community here in Colorado what some of those resources are.

The 988 Colorado Mental Health Line is available for free.

Immediate human support 24 over seven.

You can call, text or live chat with 988 today.

They're ready to listen.

Colorado youth can also receive up to six free therapy sessions through I matter, with English and Spanish language services available.

Visit I matter colorado.org to learn more.

on Colorado inside Out Kyle Dyer and her dynamic lineup of panelists bring to the table real issues that impact Colorado and our lives.

Here's Kyle with more from this week's stories making headlines.

Hello and happy Pride Month!

Colorado cities have celebrations going on every weekend in the days in between as well.

In Colorado Springs, the city Council decided not to issue their regular proclamation for Pride Month.

Yet the state's Theater Guild is going the opposite direction in supporting all identities, and it appears to be a first in the nation.

We are approaching the halfway mark of Pride Month, and this weekend in Colorado there are festivals and celebrations in Salida, Avon, Colorado Springs and Boulder.

And while the Spring City Council chose not to issue a proclamation like they usually do because it could engage in identity based or political gestures, that was the wording used.

The Colorado Theater Guild has made a different shift in a different direction, while announcing this week its annual award nominations.

The Theater Guild is doing away with categories like Best Actor in a Drama or Best Actress in a drama, and moving forward to Best Performer as a way to recognize that there are actors out there who are non-binary and don't see themselves as a man or woman in that kind of category.

Carlos, I want to start with you.

So first of all, happy Pride Month, everyone.

I think for me, as growing up as a queer kid, and living in a world where it was either male or female.

And for me, growing up, the male image was the Marlboro Man.

Okay.

And I never saw myself as that person.

I saw myself.

I still considered myself male, but I didn't consider myself that.

Marlboro Man.

And I, and I think that when we in our society, I love the way our society is evolving.

Okay.

And being more open and accepting.

And I think that allows people to really step in to who they are.

MTV made this change eight years ago in 2017.

So they did away with these like, gender awards.

And was there any repercussion about that?

No.

And what it has done instead it has really allowed, artist to really step into their true creativity and be the best in who they are.

Right, Patty?

Well, a couple things.

One.

Shame on Colorado Springs, where we had the club shooting this not long ago for not being willing to make a proclamation like this, but also where is like the Academy Awards and the Theater Guild.

Then we started Best of Denver, what, 40 years ago?

And we weren't going to divide up best singer songwriter by male or female?

Best politician by male or female.

Even 40 years ago, that was antiquated.

So good that people are changing.

If you want to give more awards, which is kind of the way society wants to go, then divide it up more.

You know, you can have Best actor in a Shakespeare play with a dog in it.

You can have a lot of different variations to give more awards.

But yeah, do not divide the sexes, the genders, the different kinds, the people they identify with, especially actors who are going to play other people anyway.

But to go into the transgender issue right now during pride, we just had Jack grafted Graton, whose body was found, and that's just tragic.

And people are talking about what's going on with trans now.

This women's sports is such a tiny part of a much, much huger issue.

Well first Carlos thank you.

Happy pride month.

So, you know, as Americans, we have the right to believe as we want.

We have the right to love as we want.

We have the right to support the causes we want and it disturbs me to see pressure placed on businesses to not support certain things they have supported.

Traditionally, because one person in Washington, D.C. doesn't like it.

So they're now saying, don't support the things you've always supported, or we're going to take money from you or we're going to punish you.

But, you know, it's culture wars and we're not telling you how to think.

But I'm about to have a parade.

It's going to be interesting to see if there's a Tiananmen Square moment during that parade.

I'm going to watch just to see if that happens.

But, you know, I think it's right that that we we dropped some of the old divisions that used to exist, and, and I'm glad to see changes come about.

I think people need more political courage to do things they've always done to issue proclamations and support all of our communities, not just some of our communities.

I will say this week, habitat for humanity for Metro Denver had a two day pride build and they had a great showing.

Yeah, for new new homes.

Well, I think Penn's right in the sense that when a business wants to support something, they should be able to support it without any fear whatsoever from the government.

On the other hand, I don't do pride stuff.

I don't really I just don't care.

I've got friends that were straight and are now gay, friends that were gay and are now straight.

I've got one friend who's a man.

He's living as a woman.

Honestly, I think he should take more pride in his exceptional economics work than in the fact that he now wears makeup.

I, so, you know, I just I don't get into pride, but if other people do, that's that.

That's totally up to them.

And they should do it, right.

As far as the, the theater Guild, though, if you want fewer people to watch than make changes like this.

And I would say that, a little PR advised for the Academy Awards if they want to go this direction, they've already lost viewership.

They're going to get even less viewership.

And the fact is, is that most Americans do believe that sex is biologically determined and that they are male and female human beings, which is what science says.

If you want to go with something different, that that's fine, but you're also going to have to expect that a lot of people are going to be like, hey, we're not into this any more.

So you want fewer viewers, go that direction.

This show is wonderful.

We have many different perspectives.

All right.

We'll leave it there.

On Colorado inside out, we always make a point of ending the week on a high note.

And these days that's important because there is good news all around us.

There are wonderful things we can learn from one another.

For me, it was a lesson of kindness from one of our great leaders in Colorado who took us back to an experience in her college days.

So when scrolling through news sites, as I do, seemingly endlessly to prepare for this show, I stumbled upon an opinion piece that really spoke to me and that I've read many times over and over.

CSU President Amy Parsons wrote about her 1995 internship at the white House, saying, never could I have imagined that I would draw decades of strength and inspiration, not from the man sitting in the Oval Office, but from a 22 year old fellow intern whom I never spoke to.

Yes, Parsons interned with Monica Lewinsky.

It's an honest retelling of how she didn't support her.

The fellow intern.

When news came out about the scandalous relationship between the president and his intern, and she regrets it now, saying, I recognize that it is my responsibility to speak up quickly when I see someone being diminished, mistreated, or misrepresented misrepresented, especially if they don't yet have the voice or position to do it themselves.

I've always been a big fan of Amy Parsons, and I'm really appreciative that she has shared this personal lesson and also her admiration of Monica Lewinsky, who is such an awesome advocate for kindness and mental health.

And just I encourage you all to read this piece.

I could go on and on.

From our leader of the CSU Rams and a mother of two daughters, who reminds us, we have no idea of the powerful lessons we may learn from those sitting next to us.

You can watch our full episode of Colorado Inside Out at PBS, 12.org, our PBS passport app, or on our YouTube channel.

And you can also listen to our extended conversations on our podcast on Spotify, and also Apple Podcasts.

And I'm already working with this week's group of insiders for our episode that will premiere this Friday at eight, right here on PBS 12.

So join us for the conversation.

as part of our humanize series.

Meet Alisha Cooke, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado.

She shares her personal journey from growing up in Detroit to leading the state's largest mentoring organization.

Here's Alicia.

Hi, my name is Elisha Cook and I serve as the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Colorado and a Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado.

We ignite the potential of youth through mentoring.

The work that I do is important to me because I've made a commitment to being the person I needed most when I was a child.

I was born in Detroit, Michigan and an area called the Black Bottom, and it's called the Black Bottom because it was most affected by the 1967 riots.

Literally, my mom had to be police escorted to the hospital.

My 16 year old mom, who turned out to be the single mom of three girls by the time she was 20 years old.

I am a first generation high school and college graduate.

My grandparents had maybe a fourth and eighth grade education.

I don't think my mom got beyond ninth or 10th grade.

And with all those challenges in my life, in every way, my life was meant to be a statistic.

I'm sure you've heard data that sometimes just the area code you're born in can predict the rest of your life.

But I always had mentors, as I was one of those people who could go this way or that way, depending upon what happened in my life.

So I credit everything to, well, my mom, who fought hard as a young teen mom, but also my three mentors, Stephanie, Deborah and Vivian.

And here we are 30 years later, leading the largest mentoring organization in Colorado.

Every single thing I do is personal.

Every grant we write, every presentation I do, every talk I have, every time I'm with my little because I'm a big sister.

It's it's real for me.

And I see the difference it makes.

At my organization, we coined and trademarked a phrase called mentor life.

And that means to always have someone investing in you and to pay it forward by always investing in someone else.

And that's how I live my life.

You lift as you climb, right?

Whatever I am climbing towards, I'm always thinking who's coming with me, who's coming with me and my workplace and my community and in my sister circle.

A lot of people are afraid to be a mentor, but you don't have to be perfect.

You just have to be present.

In 2020, I received a National Lifetime Achievement Award in Mentoring, and it was the last great thing I did in 2020.

In January, before the world shut down.

But to win that award.

To be hired as the first black female, CEO and president of Big Brothers Big Sisters in Colorado is 106 year history.

That was huge.

And when I came in, I think being a woman, having those lived experiences, being a black woman, host George Floyd also, I came for more of a programing like a really grassroots community type of, past and history of experience to an organization that, had a lot more corporate feel, I think, and sometimes just the way I interact or the way I get things done or things that I do that work really well with the youth or in the communities that we serve, didn't go over so well.

When you're having a conversation with those who have never had that lived experience, those who don't look like you, those who don't get your style, your humor.

I am a very outgoing person.

I have a big personality and I was always told to tone that down.

But I don't know how.

It's who I am.

So I've been getting a lot of coaching on making sure my intent matches my impact, but my mentors don't tone it down, because that same thing that people are telling you to tone it down is what got you large agency of the year is what got you that.

So just finding that balance and being understood by people who don't look like you, what if it doesn't work out what if just all the fears, you know.

So I think that's really hard.

Learning to walk in your own shoes, to walk authentically, to trust yourself, to trust your gut.

To not people.

Please.

I think that's always something women face.

You know, you hear things like, oh, women are so emotional.

I think men are far more emotional.

But that's my personal.

I see it all the time, or all this like peeling back the stereotypes, trusting, listening.

Understand we operate differently, understanding even in households, it's getting better.

But that is still shows women carry about 70% of the household duties as well.

So if you're doing 70% of the household duties and you're doing you're working full time, so how do we reconcile?

But I do I travel quite a bit, and I always have with my work.

And whenever I was on a plane or somewhere or even if I go home, people send me, where are your kids?

And I'd say with their dad.

And but men never get asked that.

Where are your kids?

Oh my gosh, is it okay that you travel that much?

I used to get asked all the time if I met, I don't know, people.

Oh, you're husband, mom, you doing all that traveling?

And do men get us that?

No, no.

And understanding that a woman's leadership style is just going to be different is going to be different.

Not better, not worse, but different things are changing.

And I'm so grateful that it is that more men are stepping up and households our partnership.

Now, you know, we always have heard, strong black woman power to the people, strong woman.

And we I used to kind of wear that as a badge of an honor, like people would always say to me, you're so strong, you're so strong.

But I felt like a failure if I didn't live up to that, or if I didn't get the help that I needed.

I believe that's a lie.

We tell women and we've got to stop.

Yes, you need to take care of yourself so that you could be strong and need at moments.

Yes, you do have to have the kind of fortitude that you don't fall apart at everything, but you got to give us that space, even in the workplace, because we carry a lot on our shoulders all the time.

I have always found when you take good care of a woman and her needs, and you help her to be better for her family, for herself, for her community, she's going to help you.

She's going to help your company be better.

Your clients are going to do better.

Your employees will do better.

There's something very special to a woman who's mentally, physically healthy and happy in the workplace and in health, in her home and in the community.

Can't be duplicated.

So if we need to do more, the more is just continue to add that additional support and make our workplaces very understanding and compassionate and understand the beauty that strong.

No, not strong.

Remember I'm getting rid of that.

But healthy, healthy, mentally healthy, physically and happy women bring to the workplace and to life.

Since our interview with Alisha, she was recognized once again as a Titan 100 leader, her second time in just three years.

The organization also took home a Platinum award at the 2025 National Conference for its work in diversifying mentors and exceeding national Youth Service averages.

This fall, they'll make history by appointing their first ever woman as chair of the board in 108 years.

And as if that wasn't enough.

In March of this year, Governor Polis appointed Alicia to serve on the state's juvenile justice and Delinquency Prevention Council.

And to view all of our Human Eye series, you can go to our YouTube channel or to our website at PBS 12.org.

Denver Urban Gardens, which you saw a little earlier in the show, has more than 200 community gardens and food forests across seven counties in metro Denver.

Here's a look at how Doug is much more than just gardens.

Hi, my name is Judy Elliott.

I'm director of Compost and Garden education with Denver Urban Garden.

So Denver Urban Gardens, we are one of the largest nonprofit, independent community garden organizations in the US.

We started in the late 70s, unofficially, with one garden in northwest Denver.

And in that garden, our garden leader met a group of young women who had come from their country saying, isn't there a place in Denver where we can recreate our cultural traditions of food and heritage and connection to family?

So the garden leader said, I don't know.

Let me go talk to the person in the church right there.

So the garden leader talked to the person in the church who said, absolutely lutely.

We'll donate this plot of land and make it a community garden.

So today we are at our Grove Community Garden, which is a community garden.

And it's also our citywide composting demonstration site.

We are right off of Colorado Boulevard and 13th be right next to, you know, and a lot, which is actually owned by National Jewish Hospital.

It is very urban.

It is very loud.

When we teach compost classes, we have microphones to drown out the noise.

Here I've got all my peppers for the season.

Fresno, Shishito.

Some Greek chamomile, which is a Thai pepper.

So gardens?

Absolutely are important for food access.

They're also important.

Many of our gardens are on land in the inner city.

That has very little in the way of a tree canopy canopy on heat islands where grocery stores are not available.

Yes, you're such a good mind.

From our start in 1970 with four gardens, we now have almost 200 gardens, 20 food forests, many, many education programs.

And we're proud that of those 200 gardens that we had, only four of the gardens we no longer have.

So that's a pretty good testament to what we're doing for sustainability and resilience.

Our gardens are always managed by volunteer garden leaders, so nobody is prohibited from growing.

If they don't have the funds to rent a plant, they operate on a pay what you can basis.

I'm never done.

I mean, I do plants like printers and thing at home, but I'm never planted vegetables.

I think what distinguishes them from backyard gardens is that you or I might have in our home.

Is that their way of joining cultures?

So I gather you're not, a fan of the how bananas.

Very interactive.

Hey, I've got a new pepper.

Do you want to try it?

I've got new tomato type one.

Try it.

Whether they are in under-resourced communities or whether they are in the community.

So a little bit more resource.

They bring people together with from different cultural traditions, different growing styles, people who might not in everyday life know of each other and know of their strengths.

So they're a way of joining community.

We're lucky in this community garden because we have a really tight knit group.

And I really like it now.

It's just a nice little plot, and I've met a lot of people.

So this garden got me through Covid.

Actually, I joined in 2020 when everybody was stuck inside and I was going stir crazy and I joined the garden.

And I found my people.

I don't usually join a lot of things, but this has been kind of nice for me because I like to see things grow and watch them.

I get a little anxious, like, hurry up and grow.

But, you know, it's been fun to watch things.

So I like to think that that we don't just provide the space, but we're there to adapt our resources and our trainings to what community we need.

Definitely to share and to have a sense of community outside.

I think over the winter, people are, you know, tired of being inside.

They want to get out in nature.

I love the way you've planted things like corners.

All the gardeners share what they know about weeds and what works and what doesn't.

Teaching the skills for people to grow their own food.

So we're not providing food.

We are helping with food, access plants and then teaching people how to grow those.

We leave you tonight with sound on 29th.

They're called Colorado's garage punk powerhouse.

We're talking about the band spells.

They performed their song We Can't Relate.

Along with other hits.

And we also caught up with them for a chat.

Thanks for watching studio 12.

Be sure to follow us on social media and on YouTube.

We'll see you next Tuesday night at eight.

Until then, have a great week!

I'm bazi kanani.

With your performances.

Like a lot of times with spells, you all will make a point of getting out in the audience or sometimes bringing the whole thing to it.

Can you talk about the politics of such a thing and why that's why you feel like that's important.

So when we started playing in spells, there was a there was a want and a desire to play on the floor of venues, some not on the stage.

So like we started just by playing.

Like, even if the venue, like we played the Gothic theater here in Denver and we played on the floor in front of, and to me that was like a thing of like going back to like old school punk and hardcore shows that were in VFW halls or Eagles Club or, you know, just anything you could rent out at that time.

And to me, I that was like the most important thing to me as a teenager.

And as a kid was like, you're like, right here.

Like, I can I can like, touch you like you're so close, you know.

And it also felt like they were like when a band did that, they were one of us, you know, and like, I think that that was like a big thing that we tried to do with spells.

And we've always tried to do as like.

And I'll say that from time to time, this belongs to you.

Like, this is like we this like if you come to a show, you're part of the show.

This is yours as well, you know.

And that's a big part of what we all believe collectively as a band.

Like, like, there's a collectivism to this.

And I think some of that got lost as punk and hardcore grew in popularity and pop culture.

I think the fact that this is, a collectivist like this is this is a collective, you know, like we all work together to make these shows happen, and then we all get that.

I, I love when it being in the mix and it's just, yeah, they're the best shows and the people's faces, like they're there and they're smiling and they've got their arm around you and you're bouncing like that's the best.

That's it's it's I don't like throwing around new agey things, but it's spiritual for sure.

Some would say it's good to see dystopian.

Some would say it's true.

I might have some say I never heard of it, but hey, like you say I do, to see that is to get stuff to say.

I feel like I went on the label, Wolf.

I feel like, yeah, what am I here, right?

Am I right, am I being.

Wrong?

And I might be wrong and I might, I might be.

To say if you see someone say to the right guy, go to buy something you never heard, I don't know in a circle.

But I didn't think I could see this coming.

If you think that if I.

And I was surprised that you never make any changes.

Make up your mind.

What am I doing?

What am I, my life?

Am I going to die?

Like what am I?

What am I, what am I being?

Let me be honest to the point I'm letting you up to.

What am I to be honest to what I'm part of?

It's to be up to the board.

You get go into what I do and show you up to what I might find out mean.

I'm.

I have the writing up, writing on my brain for writing.

I love writing on my body.

Writing.

I might write what I love now I.

So what ways do you feel like punk is poised to speak to this moment, and what do you think it can do?

I think that we're so divided right now, and there's so much hate and there's so much anger in the world.

And I think that, having a collective and being at a show and listening to this music means something different to everyone.

And I think that bringing everyone together for one thing, and letting loose and getting people out of their comfort zone and letting their guard down and just allowing them to have fun for 30 minutes at a time is what people need to do more of.

I think that, you've seen a massive resurgence in, I mean, hardcore especially has made them like a huge rebound.

And I think even in punk rock, like, I think it has been a big rebound in that because I do think the message is still important.

Fast rock and roll was always has always been my personal favorite conveyance of anti-establishment and anti fascism and, anti dictatorship and pro human rights movements.

And I think that there it is, there's been a massive resurgence in it because, there are a large portion, there is a large portion of this population that feels like they are marginalized and they're being trolled by another portion.

And I think the music is back in the message and the vitriol is back, because people are trying to regain and reclaim some of their strength and their power and we're being reminded when you go to a show, you're you aren't alone.

Like when you sit in a venue with 220 or like tonight with 400 and some odd people who are very close to how you feel, and they they share the same passions about the direction the world is going in.

If reinvigorates you because we sit on our phones, we're at home in our computers, these little cells and pods in our hives.

But when you get back with everybody, you're like, no, no, no, there are other people that feel this way.

There's a lot of other people.

And I think punk rock has always been great at reminding people that you are not alone, like you were totally not loved this thank you spells.

Yeah, it's been amazing, I appreciate it.

Love you always.

I have never be angry alone.

They spells.

Yay!

Let's do it.

She got me a bad night.

I took a quick shower.

I want to, and I don't want to start any.

I'm pleased to be done.

All right.

I know, I know, you think that you need your best.

Hold on.

You swallow.

No, you can't trust me when you're hungry.

And I don't know you when I'm at home.

The way I do it like this.

And I do it like this.

Why do you.

When I get it?

And when I do you when?

Why?

In a way, you're not great.

Why?

I'm stuck while I thought it up and I say, I mean I gave one up.

Hey, hey, hey.

I was still high up waiting for your cut, and I was not good enough.

80%.

It's good enough.

I tried to be me.

I feel I'm working.

But I am already I expired.

Get up, Delaware Valley.

More than you asking me.

Why do you live here?

Waiting to take on all your plans.

And that's why I like you.

Now I want wait, I want what peace.

The tide is back.

Wait.

How do you work like this?

And how do you like this?

Am I to you when I get it?

And how do you live?

How do I play that?

Lie awake tonight.

I pray that God and I'm so proud to get up late.

I'm down and I get you, but not hey hey hey hey oh I felt like I went after your thoughts.

I love your work.

I 80%.

It's good to know.

What?

I tried without drinking.

Oh, I broke my back because I was never, oh, 80%.

Seems good enough.

Change.

God.

And I time not.

And.

Oh, wait, wait.

The fact that I got out of.

I can and I can and I gave up.

Hey hey hey hey I felt like I quit play I hundred and I got it all working up it work that can't start it up.

Oh, wow, I owe you.

Well, thank you all.

Thanks.

But.

You.