Cottonwood Institute (CI) is an educational non-profit organization based in Denver, Colorado. What We Do: CI's mission is to connect underserved students to the outdoors and empower them to take action to improve their schools, the community, and the environment for future generations. How We Do It: CI collaborates with schools and youth organizations—primarily for middle and high school students—to provide high quality, high impact environmental education and service-learning programs. Why We Are Different: CI programs empower students to ignite change, not just talk about it. CI's change theory is: Gift + Issue = Change. Every student has a gift and when they apply it to an issue they are passionate about, they will change themselves. That change will ripple out to their friends and family, their schools and communities, the environment, and the world. For more information about the Cottonwood Institute, please visit: http://www.CottonwoodInstitute.org