YOUTH ENGAGEMENT
The Renovate the Public Hearing Initiative is engaging with young people in a number of ways to gain their input on the public hearing process and get a sense of the changes they would like to bring to the world of land use decision-making. Youth in BC will inherit the communities we are creating now, yet young people are extremely underrepresented in land use decisions. Their ideas and insights are vital, and the RPHI team will be incorporating what we learn through youth engagement into all our work and final reports and recommendations.
CITYHIVE
Early in our work, we partnered with CityHive, a youth-led organization that engages young people in civic processes and empowers them to participate in shaping their cities. In Spring of 2023, through City Hive’s three-month Urban/Rural cohort program, City Innovators, 20 youth participants learned about how land use decisions are made, how the public hearing process works (and doesn't work), and connected with municipal staff, community members, and grassroots organizations across BC’s rural and urban centres. At the end of the program, participants proposed their own ideas for creative "renovations" that would make the Public Hearing process more accessible to constituents across the province.
SFU STUDENTS
Last year, students in SFU’s Human Geography (GEOG 363) class also learned about public hearings, but their group specifically explored the challenges of engaging with younger demographics in land-use decisions. We are so grateful to Professor Leanne Roderick for giving us the exciting opportunity to engage with her class on this important topic and to hear their insights. The students' final projects illustrated their inspired ideas on how to better inform and connect with youth on public hearings in BC.
PUBLISHING
We are currently collaborating with creators and educators to produce and publish engaging educational materials regarding public hearings and civic engagement for teens and children. As part of this process, we are working with youth in BC to incorporate their perspectives and ideas, and engage them in sharing their experiences with civic action and engagement. We are very excited to share this work with you when it is completed.