Statewide Civic Engagement
Putting community voice at the heart of Colorado’s news, stories, and civic life.
Our Purpose
We believe civic engagement isn’t only about voting or policy; it’s about learning to understand one another and working toward shared solutions for the places we call home.
How It Works
Each Above the Noise event combines content and conversation:
- Screenings & Storytelling: Local and national public-media programs—documentaries, short features, and digital stories—serve as starting points for dialogue.
- Facilitated Conversations: Trained moderators and community ambassadors guide respectful, small-group discussions that invite multiple perspectives.
- Local Focus: Topics are chosen through listening sessions and community partnerships, ensuring every event reflects local realities, not just statewide headlines.
- Action & Reflection: Gathered insights are shared with participants, partners, and local newsrooms to keep the dialogue alive and inform future coverage and collaboration.
Why It Matters
- Rebuilding Trust: By connecting Coloradans face-to-face, Above the Noise helps restore confidence in local institutions and in one another.
- Centering Humanity: Participants practice listening across political, cultural, and generational divides.
- Strengthening Democracy: Dialogue becomes a form of civic participation—deepening understanding of local issues and shared responsibility.
- Reflecting Colorado: Events are intentionally designed to include rural, multilingual, youth, and historically excluded communities.
Community Essays from Colorado
RMPM has developed a partnership with Colorado Ethnic Media Exchange to launch this monthly essay series, as part of our vision to co-create a Colorado where everyone feels seen and heard.
These stories are sourced from community members across the state—told in their own words and selected from our 64-county community ambassador program. They are not editorial products of our journalism team but are first-person reflections on life in Colorado - building bridges through empathy.
Statewide Civic Engagement
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Statewide Civic Engagement is Rocky Mountain Public Media’s commitment to strengthening trust and belonging across Colorado in action—by connecting people and communities through dialogue, storytelling, and shared experiences.
Together, we’re creating a year-round rhythm of listening, reflection, and activation that links all 64 counties in a shared civic ecosystem.
Statewide Civic Engagement is Rocky Mountain Public Media’s commitment to strengthening trust and belonging across Colorado in action—by connecting people and communities through dialogue, storytelling, and shared experiences.
Together, we’re creating a year-round rhythm of listening, reflection, and activation that links all 64 counties in a shared civic ecosystem.
How We Work
Listening First
We help communities engage in deep, ongoing dialogue to surface what matters most.
Connecting Neighbors
Our team works hand-in-hand with local partners to host conversations, gather insights, and ensure community feedback flows back to RMPM and newsrooms statewide—so Colorado’s stories truly reflect the people who live here.
Building Belonging
From Ambassador64 to Community Voices, we amplify perspectives that reflect Colorado’s cultural, geographic, and generational diversity.
Together, these efforts form a continuous listening framework—one that transforms public media into a living civic infrastructure that listens, learns, and evolves alongside the people it serves.
Our Statewide Initiatives
This work comes to life through three interconnected initiatives:
Above the Noise
Creating spaces for Coloradans to listen, reflect, and connect across differences.
Above the Noise offers in-person and virtual civic engagement experiences that use storytelling, film, and facilitated dialogue to help people see one another as human, examine bias, and explore what it means to belong in Colorado.
Ambassador64
Connecting every county in Colorado through public media that listens, includes, and reflects the people.
Ambassador64 is a statewide movement led by Rocky Mountain Public Media to ensure everyone in Colorado feels seen, heard, and valued. This network brings together trusted local connectors—individuals and organizations already rooted in their communities—to strengthen two-way relationships between Coloradans, their newsrooms, and RMPM. Together, we’re co-creating a Colorado where media isn’t something that happens to communities, but with them—through listening, storytelling, and shared purpose.
Community Voices
Personal stories from Coloradans, shared with Colorado Ethnic Media Exchange (CEME) partners and translated into Spanish and Mandarin, celebrating identity, belonging, and the diverse lived experiences that make our state unique.
Through Community Voices, Coloradans tell their own stories in their own words. These reflections—shared in partnership with CEME—bridge language, culture, and geography, creating deeper understanding across our state.
Get Involved
Whether you’re a student, educator, community leader, neighbor, elder, or partner newsroom, there’s a place for you in this work.
Partner With Us
Bring Above the Noise to Your Community
Are you part of a library, newsroom, nonprofit, campus club, or other community group interested in hosting conversations that build trust and understanding? We collaborate with partners statewide to co-host screenings, dialogues, and civic engagement events.
Let us know you're interested at civicengagement@rmpbs.org.
Share Your Voice
Community Essays & Local Stories
Your story matters. We’re collecting personal reflections and creative works from people across Colorado—moments of belonging, resilience, and discovery. Share your perspective and help others see our state through your eyes.
Get Involved Locally
Join Ambassador64
Become part of a statewide network of ambassadors helping Colorado communities feel seen and heard. Volunteer to host screenings, gather stories, or spark local conversations that connect people and ideas. Training and support provided.
Contact us: CivicEngagement@rmpbs.org
Civic Learning Resources
PBS Civics Collection
A thriving democracy depends on people who understand one another — and the systems that shape our shared lives.
As part of RMPM’s Statewide Civic Engagement commitment, the PBS Civics Collection offers free, classroom-ready resources that help Coloradans of all ages explore what it means to participate in civic life. Through diverse stories, historical examples, and real-world dialogue, these materials invite learners to see themselves as active contributors to their communities.
Use these resources to:
- Strengthen civic knowledge and critical thinking.
- Explore multiple perspectives through inclusive storytelling.
- Practice civil discourse and community problem-solving.
- Inspire students and residents alike to engage with democracy every day.