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September 21 and 22
2 days, 2 disciplines, 2 ways to participate – defining our professional roles and uniting to build more equitable, accessible and inspired communities.
#2GETHER2022
“Yep. Now, how?” From our conversations with planners and designers working in both government and consulting, we know many recognize the importance of engaging youth but don’t know how to effectively incorporate it into their work. Youth are among the most impacted by this pandemic, yet they continue to be sidelined in decision-making processes. As city builders, it is imperative to include and respond to youth’s needs as we make plans, policies, and designs to “build back better.” Urban Minds is a Toronto-based non-profit organization with a mission to create meaningful ways for youth to shape equitable and sustainable cities. With the support of OPPI, Mitacs, and X University (formerly Ryerson) School of Urban and Regional Planning, Urban Minds developed Cities For Youth, a toolkit for youth engagement in planning. Drawing from the experience of Urban Minds’ own work and interviews with 10 planning and engagement professionals in Ontario and beyond, the Cities For Youth toolkit includes guiding principles, best practices, and successful case studies on how to engage youth in urban planning. At this round-table session, facilitators from Urban Minds will guide participants in small groups through various public consultation scenarios based on planning processes in Ontario. Participants will have the opportunity to learn and apply youth engagement practices (YEP) drawn from the Cities For Youth toolkit, from outreach and ideation to data collection and follow-up. The session concludes with each group sharing their proposals to ensure youth voices are heard and opportunities for participants to ask each other questions and offer constructive feedback.