APA Conferences Offer Out-of-the Box Tools of Engagement

In recent years, planners and public officials have mobilized broad participation in the community decision-making process. Viable, equitable solutions to public problems may be achieved through public dialogue where a diversity of interests and stakeholder groups of all cultures and ages come together to grapple with issues.

Young people are a key stakeholder group who should contribute to public debate. Indeed, it is young people who will inherit the consequences of the decisions made today.

Whether reclaiming community pride in an area degraded by graffiti and vandalism, rescuing woodlands by restoring historic features, or preserving natural resources by disposing of invasive species, children and youth are taking a more active role in shaping their communities. They are becoming genuine partners in community planning, design and decision-making, and are developing the capacity to actualize democratic citizenship and an increased level of social responsibility for the common good.

Once marginalized from the governance process — due to stereotypes about their capacity to grasp long-term consequences of their actions and perceived limitations of experience and expertise — children and youth are contributing their unique and fresh voices to the public dialogue. Their participation in their communities has assumed a variety of forms and their real influence over issues has increased as the opportunities to speak about the issues that concern them have grown.

Initiatives to encourage youth involvement occur where communities invest in their youth and where young people and adults work together to build a culture of shared values of civic empowerment, responsibility, and positive social change. Civic competence is a prerequisite for assuming what Jefferson termed "the office of citizen."

Each annual APA National Planning Conference showcases examples of young people developing a commitment to civic life. Sessions feature tools and resources that can be used to galvanize this audience and present a variety of methods for civic education and models of citizenship.

The 2009 N ational Planning Conference in Minneapolis featured several youth empowerment and participatory practice models to foster effective dialogue and engagement.

Mary D elaittre, Founder and Executive Director of award-winning curriculum, Sitelines Education, focuses on environmental literacy as a tool for honing one's ability to see and think critically about the manmade and natural world. She believes that "Understanding our surroundings equips us with the tools we need to shape and change our environment in ways that suit us, creating communities that facilitate connection rather than separation and segregation." She has used her K-12 curriculum to teach outside the box in communities such as Sonoma, California and Fargo, North Dakota.

The Ride to Dream school program was developed as part of the Regional Transportation District's (RTD) FasTracks I-225 Light Rail Project in Aurora, Colorado. This two-year program engaged middle and high school students in the planning and engineering of 10.5 miles of light rail within their community. A major goal of the program was to mentor students and encourage them to explore careers as planners and engineers to support this transportation system. The program included monthly interactive field trips including a light rail transit tour, bridge competition, participation at a public meeting, mock construction in an environmentally-sensitive area, and exercises with GIS, microstation, and VSIM. The end of each school year concluded with a tour of the local university and a program graduation with family.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation's 2030 Long Range Plan developed a curriculum to involve students in their communities' local government land development approval process. They used music, visioning, and role-play to get students to consider the provision and use of transportation services within their communities and understand how these services interact with environmental resources such as open space, air quality, and water quality. "Spread the Word" challenged students with role-playing. Students became delegates at the 1776 Continental Congress in Philadelphia. How would they get back home to tell their constituents that the Declaration of Independence has been signed? How long would it take them to spread the word? Other activities included a travel journal and visioning for a future transportation system.

When it comes to youth making the right choices for a more sustainable future, Eco Education, an environmental organization based in St. Paul, Minnesota, uses a model of student-led civic engagement in which students work together with community partners to research and improve their communities. The goal is to inspire ecologically sound decisions and actions. Students in the 7th and 8th grades at Great River School participated in the Urban Stewards program, a service-learning program, which provides students with an opportunity to identify and address environmental issues in their own communities.

Students make connections between classroom learning — the academic knowledge and skills — and the real world around them to make positive change. The Great River Urban Stewards lobbying for an outdoor classroom at nearby Como Park learned about the city's competitive budget process, wrote letters, and presented a slide show to the City Council. Students received word in the spring that the funding was approved!

The National League of Cities' (NLC) Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF Institute) utilizes youth master planning as a cutting-edge process to bring together diverse key stakeholders including young people to better align community resources to improve outcomes for youth and shared accountability. Each city tailors their plan to meet unique local needs. The City of Hampton, Virginia's award-winning Youth Civic Engagement model has garnered the most attention. It provides meaningful opportunities for young people to serve others, influence local decision-making, and gain leadership and work experience. Two part-time staff Youth Planners each work 15 hours per week and are responsible for the youth component of the city's comprehensive plan. Their role is to build relationships among youth and city government as well as serve as the official voice for youth with city government — helping to identify priority issues and involve youth in framing the community's future. More on Hampton.

Youth engagement in Manchester, Vermont reflects the growing movement to establish collaborative governance. In 2007, Manchester appointed youth to all Town boards and commissions. The model was selected that "best matched the interests of Manchester students, the structure of local government and the culture of the community". These high school student appointees are full voting members on all but two of Manchester's boards — the Development Review Board and Planning Commission — which are quasi-judicial and cannot legally allow minors to vote. In this governance capacity, young people learn to navigate government systems, speak with responsibility about priorities and concerns, develop social capital, and create solutions that work. The community benefits immediately when young adults assert their rights to participatory democracy and assume the office of citizen. In fact, one former student planning commissioner in Manchester rejoined the Planning Commission as a full voting member once she turned 18.

The APA National Planning Conference offers planners the opportunity to learn the pathways for authentic youth civic engagement. By establishing a platform for shared dialogue and common purpose, communities can build the infrastructure to anchor a genuine commitment to civic life — and, therefore, ensure a better and more equitable future for all.