ResourcesZine is both an online newsletter and a searchable database of information. Updated frequently, it contains a wealth of information about youth involvement in planning. Navigate from the ResourcesZine home page to lesson plans, the latest news and events, feature articles, awards and contests, reviews of books and other publications, helpful links, and Kids and Community, our site tailored for kids. In addition, a comprehensive search engine can help you find the specific resources that are right for your needs.

October was National Community Planning Month, which meant the announcement of the second annual High School Essay Contest.  "Creating a Green Neighborhood Plan" is the theme.  The submission deadline is January 15, 2008.

It's often said, "Let kids be kids."  True, but they can be a lot of other things, too: planners, urban designers, and committed citizens.  That's why the November newsletter's theme is "Kids as…"

Cities are using creative programs to allow youth to become stakeholders, planners, and committed citizens of their communities. Michael Karpman of the National League of Cities' Institute for Youth, Education, and Families discusses "youth master planning" and other youth-powered civic involvement efforts.

The goal of Kids' City is to educate young people about community planning and the function of their community government. Nekya J. Young, a planner in Rutherford County, Tennessee, describes the county's local program.

The Chicago Architecture Foundation has recently released The Architecture Handbook: A Student Guide to Understanding Buildings, a first-of-its-kind college-prep architecture textbook for high school students. CAF Education Specialists Jennifer Masengarb and Krisann Rehbein give an overview of the goals, writing process, and content of this pioneering publication.

Help kids learn more about city planning. Kids and Community is a website made just for kids with fun activities like a scavenger hunt and a story creator. The site encourages our cities' leaders of tomorrow to take an active interest in city planning today.

Learning to Give, a project spearheaded by the Council on Michigan Foundations, is a monumental effort to bring philanthropy and service learning into the classroom.  Bookmark the website and search for the many planning-related resources!

Last issue's book spotlight, A Street Through Time: A 12,000-Year Walk Through History, is the selection for this month's APA Book Club, a special children's version! Click here for discussion questions, and enjoy sharing the "story of a street" with a child.

Think of it as a how-to guide for civic involvement for young people (ages 9-12).  What Is a Community? describes multiple facets of a healthy community, with each part represented by a letter of the alphabet.

©2007 All Rights Reserved.
American Planning Association