Youth Led Development
Engaging Young People for a Better Future
Sustainable Cities International supports youth engagement in sustainability through our Youth-Led Development Program.
We engage children, adolescents and young professionals in a variety of ways, depending on the needs and interests of the age group we are working with.
Using creative tools, such as community mapping and photo visioning, we help cities solicit the opinions of their young residents to inform urban decision making. We also build sustainability education into the work we do with children and youth. For young professionals, we provide local and international internships that give people in their 20s the opportunity to further their career ambitions and hone their skills to contribute to sustainable urban development.
At sustainable cities, we believe that the creativity, imagination and fresh perspective of younger generations contribute to innovation and are part of the solution to the biggest challenges we face.
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Youth-Led Project Examples
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Comox-Helmcken Greenway
Sustainable Cities International was contracted by the City of Vancouver to engage youth in grades 1-12 in imagining what the Comox-Helmcken Greenway should look like. The proposed greenway runs from Stanley Park to Yaletown in downtown Vancouver and is meant to encourage active transportation and community connections along the route. In partnership with Social Policy at the City of Vancouver, SCI designed four different workshops to be delivered to grades 1-3, grades 4-7, grades 8-12 and ESL respectively.
Mapped! Vancouver's Youth Asset Mapping Project
In partnership with the City of Vancouver, Sustainable Cities led an initiative to map youth assets in Vancouver. This project responded to a need identified by youth and youth services providers for a central hub of information on youth services and resources in Vancouver. The project also focused on building connections and networks within the youth service community in Vancouver, while building the leadership and facilitation capacity of youth.
Whistler: Youth Engagement in the Official Community Plan Update
In Whistler, Sustainable Cities supported the Resort Municipality to engage young people in the update process to their official community plan. The project began with a two day workshop to build a sense of team among members of the newly formed Youth Advisory Group (YAG), a group made up of students from the local high school. The workshop also focused on training YAG members in peer to peer asset mapping and beginning the process of youth engagement around key themes of the Official Community Plan: Housing, Economic Development and the Natural Environment.