Building a Brighter Future for Colorado’s Youth: FHMD Joins Statewide Effort to Guide Social Media Settlement Funds
By: FHMD
At Future Hearts, Minds & Dreamers (FHMD), we believe every child deserves access to creativity, connection, meaningful relationships, and opportunities to discover their potential. The arts and enrichment experiences we provide are more than just activities—they help young people build confidence, develop social-emotional skills, and create lasting connections beyond the digital world.
That is why we are proud to join fellow organizations across Colorado in supporting the Colorado Afterschool Partnership (CAP) as we work toward developing consistent guidance for how Colorado’s social media settlement funds should be distributed and invested in our youth.
A Collective Effort for Colorado’s Children
Future Hearts, Minds & Dreamers is honored to stand alongside organizations such as:
Boys & Girls Clubs of Colorado
Rocky Mountain Partnership Cradle to Career
Pinhead Institute
Growing Up Boulder
And many other dedicated youth-serving organizations and community partners
Together, we are contributing to a broader conversation about how these funds can create meaningful, lasting benefits for children, teens, and young adults throughout Colorado.
This collaborative effort recognizes that addressing the challenges young people face today requires more than one organization or one approach. It takes educators, youth development professionals, community organizations, families, and advocates working together toward shared goals.
Investing in Youth Beyond the Screen
Young people are growing up in an increasingly digital world. While technology offers valuable opportunities, concerns surrounding social media use, youth mental health, isolation, and overall well-being have made it more important than ever to invest in positive, real-world experiences.
The proposed guidance emphasizes the importance of directing social media settlement funds toward programs and services that support youth mental health, safety, healthy development, and meaningful connections.
This includes opportunities such as:
Before- and after-school programs
Summer learning and enrichment
Arts, music, theatre, and creative expression
Outdoor education and nature-based learning
Youth mentoring and leadership
Sports, recreation, and play
Mental health services and supportive community programs
Digital safety education and responsible technology use
These investments can help ensure that young people have access to safe spaces where they can learn, grow, express themselves, and build relationships with caring adults and their peers.
Why This Matters to Future Hearts, Minds & Dreamers
Through our work providing arts enrichment in schools, community organizations, and senior communities, we see firsthand how creative experiences can positively impact individuals and strengthen communities.
A drama class can help a child find their voice. A dance class can build confidence and encourage teamwork. A visual arts project can provide a healthy outlet for self-expression. A music program can create belonging and connection.
These experiences matter.
They offer children opportunities to step away from screens and engage with the world around them in meaningful ways. They support the development of communication, creativity, collaboration, resilience, and self-confidence—skills that extend far beyond the classroom.
As an arts enrichment organization, FHMD believes that access to the arts should be part of the conversation when determining how youth-focused settlement funds are invested.
Creating Guidance That Serves Every Community
An important part of this statewide effort is ensuring that funding decisions are thoughtful, transparent, equitable, and responsive to the needs of Colorado’s diverse communities.
The goal is to help establish guidance that encourages:
Youth well-being first. Investments should support mental health, safety, belonging, and healthy development.
Access for all. Children and young adults—including those in underserved communities—should have meaningful opportunities to participate in high-quality programs.
Community-informed decisions. Families, educators, youth-serving organizations, and young people themselves should have a voice in shaping priorities.
Evidence-based investments. Funding should support programs informed by research, community needs, and demonstrated or emerging impact.
Long-term sustainability. These resources represent an opportunity to strengthen the systems and programs that support Colorado’s youth for years to come.
A Shared Responsibility and a Shared Opportunity
At Future Hearts, Minds & Dreamers, we know that when communities invest in children, they invest in the future.
We are grateful to be part of a collaborative effort with organizations across Colorado that are committed to making sure these resources are thoughtfully considered and directed toward opportunities that help young people thrive.
We look forward to continuing this important work with the Colorado Afterschool Partnership and our fellow partners as we advocate for guidance that recognizes the value of youth development, the arts, mental health, and meaningful real-world connections.
Every child deserves the opportunity to connect, create, belong, and dream. Together, we can help make that future possible.
Learn More
To explore the broader national guidance on investing social media settlement funds in youth well-being and real-world opportunities, visit Fund IRL.
Future Hearts, Minds & Dreamers is proud to support collaborative efforts that keep the arts alive and help create brighter futures for children and communities across Colorado.
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