By Laureen Boll | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice
In the small, conservative town of Paonia, Colorado, with a population of just 1,500, a local organization is stirring debate with a new initiative aimed at children. The Learning Council, a tax-exempt nonprofit based in downtown Paonia, is hosting a “Sex Health Education Day Camp” for 10- to 13-year-olds on July 14–16.
Led by Alicia Michelsen, the organization’s executive director, the camp has raised eyebrows among some residents who question its motives and appropriateness, particularly given Michelsen’s history of pushing for controversial changes to local school curricula and a broader societal trend where adults seem increasingly focused on the sexuality of other people’s children.
A Rejected Vision Fuels a New Initiative
Alicia Michelsen has been a prominent advocate for comprehensive sexual health education in Delta County. In 2021 she organized a demonstration in support of a school district task force that introduced a new sex education curriculum to the Delta County School District 50J, emphasizing lessons on consent and the acceptance of sexual diversity.
According to a Colorado Sun article from May 2021, the school board unanimously rejected the proposed curriculum after a heated public meeting. The decision was made behind closed doors while supporters of the curriculum, waving rainbow banners, clashed with opponents singing hymns and shouting Biblical admonitions from a pickup truck.
The rejection was a significant setback for Michelsen, who had invested years in the effort.
One wonders if the Sex Health Education Day Camp is Michelsen’s response to this defeat, a way to bypass the school board and directly influence young children.
The camp’s curriculum, which includes topics like “Learning and Practicing Consent and Boundaries,” and “Sex, Technology, and Politics,” seems overly mature for pre-teens. Is this an agenda to sexualize children under the guise of education?
The Learning Council’s Broader Agenda
The Learning Council, headquartered at The Hearth in downtown Paonia, describes itself as a community organization supporting lifelong learning. Beyond the camp, it operates a Diversity Library featuring “queer and BIPOC authors” and “banned books.”
The organization also sponsored Delta Pride 2024, an all-ages event on October 27, 2024, where their booth offered information on how to obtain free abortion pills.
The camp itself, co-facilitated by Michelsen and Blake McClain, a young man described as “deeply caring about empowering the health and sexuality of our youth,” raises additional questions.
Why are adults so invested in the sexuality of other people’s children?
The curriculum’s emphasis on topics like “cultivating authentic, loving relationships” and “nurturing healthy lives and sexuality” for 10- to 13-year-olds seems inappropriate for a small, family-oriented community like Paonia. Most parents feel these topics should be addressed at home, and tailored to their child’s maturity level and family values.
The camp’s Parent’s Night, scheduled before the event, aims to introduce facilitators and outline the curriculum, promising to “open the door to empowering conversations at home.”
While one may defend this as fostering transparency and dialogue, it does not inherently resolve the deeper issues raised by the camp’s content, its organizer’s motives, or the broader societal trend of non-parents taking an active role in shaping children’s sexual education.
Parents may leave this introductory meeting with unanswered questions or feel pressured to acquiesce due to social dynamics or assurances of professionalism.
This format does not guarantee meaningful parental input or veto power over what their children are taught, especially when the camp is already scheduled and the curriculum is set.
A National Narrative Invades a Small Town
In a small town rooted in traditional values, The Learning Council’s camp represents a clash between local autonomy and progressive ideologies often associated with urban or coastal elites.
Initiatives like this prioritize national agendas—such as promoting sexual diversity or redefining social norms—over the specific needs and values of Paonia’s 1,500 residents. The involvement of figures like Michelsen and McClain, who seem to position themselves as more qualified than parents to guide children through adolescence, amplifies this tension.
This trend of strangers or self-proclaimed experts taking precedence over families in shaping young minds strains the fabric of close-knit communities.
The Sex Health Education Day Camp, though small in scale, has become a flashpoint in a larger cultural battle, revealing a growing divide over who is best suited to shape the moral and personal development of the next generation. I’m on the side of parents.
Laureen Boll is a long-term Douglas County resident, retired healthcare executive, and active champion of classical liberalism. As the founder and CEO of MeritFirst Solutions, she leverages over 20 years of experience in organizational strategy, human capital development, and policy research to help businesses refocus on their core mission while fostering an environment where talent and achievement drive success. Laureen has served on the Board of Directors of the Douglas County Libraries Foundation since 2019, reflecting her commitment to community engagement and education. A Coloradoan since the 1970s, Laureen is a dedicated parent and advocate for individual dignity and academic excellence in K-12 education, and she is passionate about preserving the independent spirit and values of her beloved home state.
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.