Grantee Spotlight: Brave Acts Define The Learning Council
The Learning Council in Delta County—a place where people gather, learn, and grow
Delta County is a beautiful intersection of waterways, desert, and mountains on Colorado’s Western Slope.
“There are all these confluences here,” said Alicia Michelsen, executive director of The Learning Council, of the unexpected landscape. “The Gunnison River has bluish water and the North Fork is more green. They separate and then come together. Our terrain here is incredible, yet contrasting.”
The contrasts also come to life in Delta County’s Paonia, where The Learning Council occupies a nondescript brick building. But when you open the doors to the historic downtown space now known as the “Hearth,” vibrant murals, Pride flags, a library brimming with books, a bustling kitchen, and community classes greet you.
More Than a Building
Since opening the Hearth in 2021, The Learning Council in Delta County has become a hub of knowledge and community connection. It offers education, food, art, wellness, and advocacy for all. People from Hotchkiss, Paonia, Crawford, Cedaredge, and Delta find a third space here. Among some of the groups who gather are mindful mamas, aspiring artists, teen filmmakers, and civic-minded residents.
Alicia notes that only 20% of the population in Delta County has obtained education beyond high school. “There is a lack of higher education here, so providing high quality adult education is very important to us.”
“But also we’re the organic epicenter of Colorado. We capture that wisdom and share it with future generations,” said Alicia about Delta County’s agricultural leadership.
From Farm to Table and Back
One way is through a bountiful Farmer’s market weekly during the summer and monthly during winter months. On those days, it also offers a free community lunch out of The Learning Council’s kitchen.
“We are working together, serving together, and creating from the product of the earth,” said Alicia.
This also includes perennial classes in permaculture, biodynamics, herbal Medicine, and practical farm skills such as cheese making, fermentation, composting, and more.
Through all these activities, The Learning Council honors the migrant workers who are essential to local farms. Alicia doesn’t understand the anti-immigration pushback. “They feed our economy—why wouldn’t we protect them?”
A Space for the “Underestimated”
The center welcomes all but focuses on who Alicia calls “the underestimated.” This includes elders, youth, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ folks, farm workers, and people with disabilities. The goal: get more of them into power.
“We are working to change systems of oppression here that keep people divided and isolated,” she said. “I want to see the town council, school board, and every realm of society change so that more women and women of color are making decisions. When they are in positions of power, their decisions are the most inclusive of everyone.” Alicia, a first-generation Colombian American, explains.
If the Schools Won’t, They Will
Having those voices on the school board is a glaring need. The Learning Council partnered with a project called Decolonizing Delta County School District to support students of color and bring attention to social justice issues.
In response to the district’s inaction, The Learning Council started DC CARES (Delta County Coalition Advocating for Radically Equitable Spaces) to help state protests, organize letter-writing campaigns, and coordinate local students to speak at the school board meetings.
They also curated a collection of 150+ books centering BIPOC and LGBTQ+ authors and stories. However, when the schools refused to shelve the books, The Learning Council creates its own free diversity library that people of all ages can access at the Hearth.
“We did so with the belief that every student deserves to see themselves represented in literature and in the classroom,” she said.
Programs Led by and for Queer Youth
The diversity library is not the only program at The Learning Council that operates with queer youth in mind. Many programs are designed by or for LGBTQ+ youth. It launched a Gender and Sexuality Alliance because the school district didn’t offer one. It also teaches sex education that includes everyone and trains parents and teachers. In June, The Learning Council staged a town Pride event with a fashion show and brunch.
“Now They Expect the Unexpected”
From murals to meetings, it’s hard to miss the impact of Alicia and The Learning Council. “People didn’t expect this,” Alicia says. “Now they know to expect the unexpected.”
The Learning Council in Delta County keeps building community, one brave act at a time. The Women & Girls of Color Fund at WFCO helps power the work. Most recently, the funds supported leadership, safety trainings, and legal support for immigrant families.
The fund also connects Alicia to a strong statewide network. “We’re kind of on our own out here and not a lot of people are doing the same kind of work we’re doing in this county. To have the network of women supporting is so fortifying,” she said.
