NEDERLAND - On Sunday, September 14, 2025, the Mountain Coalition for Youth hosted an opening ceremony in Chipeta Park for their Listen Longer Conversation Chair Project.

The project, led by the coalition’s Youth Leadership Academy, was first conceived in March and April of 2024.

The chairs, with frames built from used skis, were designed by Ella Schrader, who worked with the Academy to finalize the design and create the model for the chairs in November of 2024.

In March of 2025, they presented the project to the Board of Trustees for a final stamp of approval, collecting funding and completing installation through the summer.

At the launch event, Academy members Max Marschhausen, Abigail Hess, and Eliza Brundege introduced the chairs, discussed the process of creating them, and expressed gratitude for the help they received from the community.

Among those thanked were the local Ace Hardware for their donation of screws and lumber, Nederland trustee Aaron Tye, and the current high school seniors in the Academy.

Hess concluded the opening by placing a sticker with a QR code on an arm that connects the two chairs. When this QR code is scanned, it takes the scanner to a page on the Mountain Coalition’s website. This page is a collection of questions meant to encourage deeper and more open discussion with community members.

A person sits in each chair, and both can choose a general category of questions to focus on. They can ask the questions however they wish, and the list of questions will change quarterly to keep discussions fresh.

Through this project, the Academy aims to provide “an element of community cohesion that has no precedent in our region.” They hope to “spread that cohesion, and our message, to as many people as we can within the town by installing more chairs.”

The Academy wants to create constructive conversations—not just for youth, but for everyone in the community. The chairs “are built by youth, to be shared, experienced, and respected by everybody,” and through this project, they hope to encourage communication and strengthen connections in the community.

To learn more about the Coalition, find the list of questions available, and find out about the Listen Longer project, head to mountaincoalitionforyouth.org/listenlonger.