Tuesdays at APA — October 2009

Effective Youth Engagement

October 20, 2009

Engaging young people in planning is often overlooked as adults plan for the future of their communities. Youth have a keen sense of awareness of how their community works and what could make it better. They are true urban pioneers — exploring their neighborhoods on foot, as a passenger in their parents' car, and sometimes by bicycle or skateboard. Figuring out how to incorporate youth in planning can be challenging with so many extra-curricular activities competing for young people's time. The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) piloted a new program called Future Leaders In Planning (FLIP) last fall as a way to give youth a voice at the regional planning level.

Erin Aleman, from CMAP, will talk about the development of the FLIP program and discuss some of the challenges, opportunities, and lessons learned over the course of last year's program.

PowerPoint presentation (ppt)

PDF of PowerPoint presentation (pdf)

About the Speakers

Erin Aleman is an associate planner at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and was involved in the creation of the FLIP program. She has been leading the development of CMAP's scenario tools for public engagement for the GO TO 2040 plan. Aleman has managed several innovative planning projects at CMAP including the development of a small grant program to engage traditionally underrepresented groups in planning and a series of design workshops to visualize the local impact of CMAP's alternative scenarios.