SFU students create 4 projects to make young people more engaged in Vancouver

Written for Daily Hive by Sinead Russell 

This fall, 18 SFU students planned and launched pilot projects aimed to engage young adults with the City of Vancouver.

The cohort took part in SFU’s Semester in Dialogue program and partnered with the City of Vancouver and CityStudio Vancouver to design and implement four engagement projects to contribute to the City’s 2050 Vancouver Plan. Each group focused on one of the 10 provisional goals outlined by the Vancouver Plan that were identified in the initial stages of citizen engagement.

“Youth deserves to be heard and included in decision-making processes within the City,” says Mailyn L., one of the students designing a project. “They will grow to become the ones who shape our future.” 

These projects were presented at CityStudio’s virtual showcased on December 4, along with other student-led teams from post-secondary institutions across the lower mainland.

Keep reading to learn more about these pilot projects happening in Vancouver. 

MyCityMyPark

 

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A space for youth to engage in developing equitable and inclusive green spaces. 

Access to safe green spaces during the pandemic is important for the physical and mental health of Vancouver youth. MyCityMyPark is an Instagram page focused on visually documenting city-owned parks in order to highlight the importance of safe, accessible green spaces. Youth engaged with posts and shared ideas for improvement.

VanCanPlan Scavenger Hunt

Photo Courtesy Maria Preoteasa

Connecting youth to their neighbourhoods to promote resilient, safe, and prepared communities.

In a crisis or emergency, it is not first responders or family and friends who will immediately come to your aid. Instead, it is your neighbours. This is why fostering community connectedness in your local area is so important. The interactive Scavenger Hunt encouraged people to explore their neighbourhood and find new connection points while engaging in questions about resilience and preparedness in Vancouver.

Fossil Fuel Free Vancouver 

Can we design a sustainable future for the city? Let’s take on this challenge together!

The Fossil Fuel Free Design Challenge brought youth together to design their 2050 vision of a sustainable Vancouver where personal vehicles that run on fossil fuels are not permitted. Participants worked on their designs in breakout groups, then came together and shared their ideas to facilitate dialogue around sustainability.

VanCityNeeds

Engaging youth to create complete, connected and culturally vibrant neighbourhoods.

Youth are often thought to be “disengaged” because they’re always on their phones. To challenge this assumption, VanCityConnects is proud to present “VanCityNeeds,” a passive, interactive initiative designed to bridge the gap between our physical and digital spaces, and engage youth on the Vancouver Plan’s seventh provisional goal.