In November of 2022, the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Parks and Recreation hosted their first ever Youth Jawn, an art-based event designed to bring Philidelphia youth together to brainstorm how recreation centers could better serve youth (City of Phildelphia, 2022). In addition to informing recreation centers’ programming and redevelopment, the event aimed to connect youth across Philidelphia to process trauma, develop plans to address community violence, and strengthen youth leadership skills (Melamed, 2022). This event was facilitated by the Philidelphia-based nonprofit, Creative Praxis, an organization that leads artbased, healing-centered trainings for youth and community members (Melamed, 2022). Learnings from this event were immense, highlighting opportunities to improve recreation center programming and design to better serve the needs of Philadelphia’s youth.
The Youth Jawn sits in the City’s larger effort to improve recreation centers in Philadelphia, a $400 million initiative called Rebuild (Melamed, 2022). However, even with the redevelopments to the recreation center space, staff have shared, “we still see a pretty dramatic falloff of young people coming to the rec centers past middle-school age”(Melamed, 2022).
So, how can we increase youth attendance and participation in Philadelphia’s recreation centers? Through youth-centered and led engagement. As Youth Jawn highlighted, youth have a wealth of ideas about how to improve recreation centers. However, very rarely are they given the platform to share those views. As one of the Youth Jawn’s facilitators shared, “to make change as a young person in Philidelphia, you really need to dig your claws in and be stubborn, or else you won’t be heard. But even when you do claw your way in the door, it does not mean you will have a seat at the table” (Angpak , 2022). This proposal aims to not only relieve youth from needing to claw their way into the door but also aims to guarantee youth a seat at the table.
This proposal aims to explore the following questions:
(ANGPAK , 2022)
• Why is youth input necessary? How could project Rebuild and the recreation center’s design and programming benefit from youth engagement?
• What are the current best practices in youth engagement?
• How could a youth engagement model be applied to project ReBuild?
• What are the potential tangible benefits for youth involved in the youth engagement process?
• What resources and toolkits exist for practitioners and organizations interested in pursuing youth engagement?
Youth engagement is an engagement approach that leverages the voice of young people in civic projects, designs, and decision-making. Our definition of youth engagement is based on the definition released by the Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement, one of the world’s leading youth engagement networks. We define youth engagement as the sustained and meaningful involvement of youth in activities to create positive social change (Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement, 2003). From this definition, it is key to highlight three core elements of youth engagement: 1) sustained 2) meaningful, and 3) activities to create positive social change.
We also believe that for youth engagement to be transformative, it needs to be mutually beneficial for both the youth and adults involved. As the Pan-Canadian Joint Consortium for School Health’s toolkit highlights, other forms of “engagement” like focus groups “are designed for a one-way flow of information from the participants to the researcher” (Pan-Canadian Consortium for School Health). As a result, they often do not provide any direct benefits to the participants nor inform participants of how their reflections were utilized. Youth engagement, on the other hand, prioritizes the reciprocal exchange of information and learning between adults and youth, rooted in relationship-building, trust, and a young person’s right to participate meaningfully in decisions that impact them (Pan-Canadian Consortium for School Health).
Youth represent a powerful untapped resource that can provide ideas, leadership, and information not otherwise accessible to adults. Youth engagement aims to tap into this expertise by incorporating youth’s unique insights to improve design, policy, and programming. However, youth engagement is not just beneficial to the quality of a design, policy, or program, but also to the lives of the youth engaged (Pan-Canadian Consortium for School Health). By utilizing youth engagement methods, projects can serve to support positive youth development and socialemotional learning.
Come together to plan ways for youth to address community violence. Develop their leadership skills.
Gather new information and learn practical skills.
“TO MAKE CHANGE AS A YOUNG PERSON IN PHILIDELPHIA, YOU REALLY NEED TO DIG YOUR CLAWS IN AND BE STUBBORN [...] BUT EVEN WHEN YOU DO CLAW YOUR WAY IN THE DOOR, IT DOES NOT MEAN YOU WILL HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE”
Understanding and prioritizing the voices, ideas, and dreams of youth in Mill Creek is integral to the success of the neighborhood’s Rebuild recreation center redevelopment. Youth are a key constituency that the recreation center aims to serve, making up approximately a quarter of Mill Creek’s total population (Social Explorer). However, even though they are envisioned as one of the primary users of the recreation center, youth voices have not historically been prioritized in the planning process. This is in part because of assumptions adults have about the interests, knowledge, and skills of youth (Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement). It is also in part because adults do not know where to begin in reaching and engaging youth. In this first section, we explore some of the key community institutions that serve youth in Mill Creek. Given that the scope of this project is Mill Creek, our list is primarily centered on those groups based within the bounds of the neighborhood. However, we encourage continued research into organizations that are active in Mill Creek but are not necessarily based within the neighborhood’s geographic borders. In addition, we encourage on the ground scoping to expand this list to include more informal youth spaces like parks, basketball courts, and barber shops.
Mill Creek Urban Farm: Located at 4901 Brown Street, the Mill Creek Urban Farm was founded in 2005 by the nonprofit called A Little Taste of Everything (ALTOE). The farm is built on 1.5 acres of vacant land that was awarded to ALTON by the Philadelphia Water Department. The farm hosts a Saturday Farmstand from July through November, as well as regular community events and volunteer days (Mill Creek Farm).
Men of Mill Creek: Men of Mill Creek (M.O.M) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating better social, economic, and community conditions for the residents of Mill Creek. M.O.M. provides a variety of programming and events in West Philadelphia including a mentorship program, computer classes, resource fairs, community clean-ups, and social events (Men of Mill Creek).
Mill Creek Coalition: The Mill Creek Coalition is a community-based umbrella organization in West Philidelphia that aims to connect diverse community groups within the Mill Creek neighborhood. It aims to serve all Mill Creek’s residents, with a particular focus on older adults and youth.
Lucien Blackwell Community Center: Lucien Blackwell Community Center: The Lucien Blackwell Community Center was opened in 2018 and is located on the site of the West Philadelphia public housing development of the same name (PHA, 2018). The center is 12,000 square feet and contains a basketball/ volleyball court, community kitchen, gathering room, and an outdoor patio that can be used for markets, performances, and meetings (PHA, 2018). The center is open to all community members, with a focus on supporting older adults and youth.
Haverford Library: While there is not a Public Library located in the bounds of Mill Creek, the Haverford Library is located approximately a ten-minute walk from the Westmost border of the neighborhood at the intersection of Haverford Avenue and Westminster Street. The library houses a preschool and hosts weekly job search assistance programming (Free Library of Phildelphia).
K-8 Schools: Youth in Mill Creek are districted to attend three public K-8 schools, James Rhodes (439 students), Martha Washington (259 students), and Alain Locke (380 students). The minority enrollment in each of these schools is a minimum of 99.5%, with the majority of enrollment made up of black students (Great Philly Schools, 2021).
High Schools: Mill Creek youth are districted to attend two high schools, Overbrook High School (446) and West Philadelphia High School (372 students), with 99% of the students in both schools considered a minority, and at least 91% black. Both high schools have over 20 teacher-led student organizations and a wide array of athletic teams (Great Philly Schools, 2021).
2000 2001 2004 2010 2011 2012
Launch
EUSD declared bankruptcy and a state takeover was implemented
Y-PLAN begins partnership & engagement with Emeryville HS
Emeryville Center of Community Life bond measure approved EUSD control returned to Emeryville School District
The Youth – Planning, Learn, Act Now (Y-PLAN) program is based at the University of California, Berkley’s Center for Cities + Schools. For over twenty years, the Y-PLAN program has invited young people into city planning, providing them with the tools and platform needed to tackle real-world challenges in their communities (CC+S, 2022). Y-PLAN does this in part through developing collaborative and hands-on planning partnerships with government agencies, K-12 schools, universities, and other community stakeholders. In 2004, Y-PLAN partnered with the Emery High School students to develop a vision for the Emeryville Center for Community Life in Emeryville, California. This center is one of the nation’s first joint-use facilities, with a community center and school cooperatively sharing a site. Through over 20 community meetings, including Y-PLAN lead sessions with youth, the project was completed in 2016. The facility incorporated“a number of” student-generated ideas into the new facility’s final design and is complete with a K-12 school, a community dental & health clinic, afterschool programs, sports facilities, and a recreation center (CC+S, 2022).
Design development & community engagement
Opening of Emeryville Center of Community Life
Given the similarities in project focus, this case provides immense learnings on how youth engagement can be incorporated into the West Mill Creek recreation center’s planning and design process. A model similar to the Emeryville Center of Community Life’s model could be used for the West Mill Creek recreation center, bringing together the City of Philadelphia, youth living in West Mill Creek, and a university partner like the University of Philadelphia, to inform and lead the youth planning process. This partnership could build on the existing relationships in West Philadelphia like those with the students at the Sulzberger Middle School and the University of Pennsylvania at the Weitzman School of Design and the Netter Center for Community Partnerships. In addition to
building off of existing partnerships, the West Mill Creek recreation center youth engagement plan could incorporate students from elementary and high schools in West Philadelphia.
This case also highlights opportunities to expand how the recreation center space is used and conceptualized. For example, this case highlights the role recreation centers can play in supporting community health, recreation, and well-being and how design can be used to create mixed-use facilities. Finally, in addition to the specific learnings from the Emeryville Center for Community Life case study, the Y-PLAN program provides a wide array of resources that could be used to incorporate youth engagement in the West Mill Creek recreation center’s planning processes. One of these resources is the Y-PLAN toolkit which provides guides, activities, and workshops for leading youth through planning processes.
Source: https://y-plan.berkeley. edu/toolkit/
Figure1. Y-Plan Roadmap
Source : https://y-plan.berkeley.edu/toolkit/
Timeline
Oct 4th Introductory presentation about GUB
Oct 11th Oct 18th Oct 20th Oct 25th Nov 8th Nov 15th Nov 29th Dec 6th
Student groups conducted site visit & anaylsis
Student groups began precedent research
Public Art clicker activity led by the government officials
Students formed like-minded groups
Growing Up Boulder (GUB) is a child-friendly initiative developed in partnership between the City of Boulder, Boulder Valley School District, and the University of Colorado (Growing Up Boulder. (n.d.)). In 2021, GUB became a nonprofit under the fiscal sponsorship of the Colorado Nonprofit Development Center (CNDC). Since 2009, GUB has worked with over 7,500 youth on more than 100 projects. The 11th Street Corridor, Hill Redevelopment Project was an 8-week multigenerational engagement led by GUB with groups from Flatirons Elementary, Presbyterian Manor, and CU Environmental Design Program in the Fall of 2017. Students developed creative ideas to make the 11th Street Corridor a fun and safer place for all ages. Improving the 11th Street Corridor helped connect the Hill community to the newly renovated Civic Center at the base of 11th street and Arapahoe (Growing Up Boulder. 2017). During this 8-week process, students completed a site analysis, researched precedents, and presented their final designs for 11th St. to city experts. Students developed projects based on their interests while also negotiating a shared vision with classmates.
processes is vital. For the 11th Street Corridor Project, the governance structure was made up of a third-party organization (Growing Up Boulder) that was responsible for taking charge of youth engagement, working in close partnership with other entities (Elementary school, Presbyterian Manor, and the University). This model could be a relevant reference for the Rebuild Project.
The weakness of this case is that it included only the views of a limited group of youth, 24 Flatirons Elementary 4th-grade students, and was in a relatively short time frame. However, partnerships with specific schools and grades could be more logistically straightforward than recruiting from scratch. Overall, based on the youth participation ladder (p.13 of this report), this approach is closer to the informed consultation model, meaning there was a limited role for youth throughout the engagement process.
Figure2. Project Timeline of 11th Street Corridor, Hill Revelopment Project
Experts visited to answer students’ questions
Students revised their projects based on feedback.
Students placed their final design recommendations onto a large, shared map
Students presented their ideas to a group of experts, designers, school officials, and community members.
The project is an example of how to develop lasting partnerships between civic organizations, university partners, city government, and experts, all focused on promoting the voice of young people voice in planning. Even though it was a relatively short timeline for meaningful engagement (8 weeks), GUB and their partners have developed and executed a rigorous partnership framework made up of eight key phases 1)Introduction, 2) Site Analysis, 3) Research, 4) Experts Visit, 5) Revise/Improve, 6) Presentations, 7) Decision Making, and 8) Follow Up.
When it comes to youth engagement, having a clear and agreed upon structure delineating expectations, responsibilities, and decision-making
Source : Growing Up Boulder. 2017. p.5
This section of the proposal outlines the four phases of youth engagement. A central idea throughout this section is the need to engage youth early, often, and authentically. In this proposal, we break the engagement process into 1) consultation & visioning, 2) outreach 3) engagement, and 4) sustainment.
2023 2026 2030
2023.6
2023.1 2023.9 2026.5
Consultation (6-month) Outreach (6-month) Engagement (2.5-year)
Develop Youth Advisory Council (YAC) to inform the goals of youth engagement, plan outreach, and workshop engagement activities. Perform youth-led outreach to both formal and informal spaces in Mill Creek.
Plan and hold interactive youth-led activities, from defining the problems to proposing design and programming ideas for a new recreation center.
First published in ‘Children’s Participation: From Tokenism to Citizenship,’ a 1992 publication of the International Child Development Centre of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Roger Hart’s Ladder of Children’s Participation applied the conceptual framework of Sherry Arnstein’s Ladder of Citizen Participation to the participation of children in adult projects, programs, and activities. Like Arnstein’s earlier framework, Hart’s modified ladder of participation became an influential and widely applied model in the fields of child development, education, civic participation, and democratic decision-making (Organizing Engagement. n.d.).
• Assigned but Informed: It occurs when the children and youth (1) understand the intentions of the project, (2) know who made the decisions concerning their involvement and why, (3) have a meaningful (rather than ‘decorative’) role, and (4) volunteer for the project after the project was made clear to them.
• Consulted and Informed: It occurs when children act as consultants for adults in a manner which has great integrity. The project is designed and run by adults, but children understand the process and
Sustaining (> 4-year)
Ensure lasting connection beyond the immediate engagement period.
Source: Organizing Engagement. (n.d.). Ladder of Children’s Participation
• Adult-initiated, shared decisions with children: It occurs when adults initiate participatory projects, but they share decision-making authority or management with children.
• Child-initiated and directed: It occurs when children and youth conceptualize and carry out complex projects by working cooperatively in small or large groups.
• Child-initiated, shared decisions with adults: It occurs when children-through primarily teenage youth in this case - share decision-making authority, management, or power with adult partners and allies.
Landscape literacy is the ability of people “to recognize and redress injustices embodied in their landscape and to build pride and self-confidence.” (Spirn, 2019) From 1996-2002, WPLP embarked on The Mill Creek Project with teachers and students at Sulzberger Middle School in West Philadelphia. Spirn (2019) reflects on the process as “landscape literacy enabled residents of the Mill Creek neighborhood to read the environmental, social, economic, and political stories embedded in their local landscape and gave them a way to formulate new stories, to envision how to transform their neighborhood, to both challenge and work with public officials.”
While there are a variety of approaches to incorporating youth feedback early in the youth engagement process, one of the most effective ways is through the development of a Youth Advisory Council (YAC). A YAC is a youth council responsible for advising decision-makers on how their programs, designs, policies, and organizations could better serve youth (WDHS, 2020). Major YAC activities include 1) consolidating the goal of the youth engagement and 2) planning for outreach plan, 3) planning for youth engagement during and beyond the rebuild project.
It is recommended to have no more than 12 youth on the YAC, unless creating subgroups, because group dynamics, representation, and idea generation tend to be best in groups of 10-12 (WDHS, 2020).
The number of times the YAC meets can vary from once a week to once a month. But regardless of frequency, make sure your meeting times are consistent, regular, and easy to remember (WDHS, 2020).
According to the Youth Engagement Toolkit of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, recruitment for the YAC can happen through nominations, networks, and a public application process (WDHS, 2020).
Providing proper compensation to youth for their work is essential to sustaining their commitment.
This section outlines best practices for youth-led outreach, which serve not only to recruit youth to be involved in the engagement process but also to empower them to lead it.
Adults often exclude young people from the earliest stages of the engagement process based on assumptions and misconceptions about young people’s interests and skills. However, youth bring critical perspectives and ideas to the outreach process that ensures an initiative’s success at resonating with youth (PCSH).
It is critical when working with multiple partners, to establish shared objectives and values by checking each group member’s assumption to ensure shared understanding, interest, and vision of the end goal. This is especially important with youth (PCSH).
Transparency
Be transparent with youth about how much control they will have in the engagement and planning process (PCSH).
Prioritize youth leadership
The outreach process is a key first opportunity to build trust with youth and demonstrate your commitment to prioritizing the youth perspectives. One way to do this is by allowing your YAC to take lead in developing the outreach plan, providing them with logistical and coordination support (WDHS, 2020).
Perform outreach in diverse spaces
As with recruitment for your YAC, make an effort to perform outreach in both formal gathering spaces, like schools or community centers, and informal spaces, like parks and barbershops (Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement, 2003).
Provide pre-engagement activities
Provide youth with pre-engagement activities to build and sustain excitement for the project (PCSH).
Develop youth-friendly materials
Youth recommend using bright colors, accessible language, bullet points instead of paragraphs, and visuals. It is also important to translate your materials to reach a diverse group of language speakers (PCSH).
This section details a plan for various interactive activities led by youth, from defining the problems from their perspective to proposing design and programming ideas for a new rec center.
This session would focus on understanding, recognizing, and responding to the impacts of trauma and stress within both the individual body and larger communities.
Youth participate in a session focused on addressing community violence, trauma, and the role community institutions like recreation centers could play in community healing.
The idea for this set of workshops was inspired and informed by work decades earlier by the West Philadelphia Landscape Project with youth at Sulzberger Middle School. The workshop could be used as a way to explore the history of West Philadelphia, using the physical landscape as a way to frame how Mill Creek has changed socially and economically over time, and explore what factors have shaped that change. Youth would also have the opportunity to review historical maps and atlases of the area.
Youth lead the assessment of the physical layout, programming, and operation of the Mill Creek recreation center. Examples of data collection methods include youth experience-focused surveys and photo voice.
Along with the core problems identified in the previous phases, young people execute precedent research related to the innovative rec center operation in Philadelphia and beyond. Knowledge partners such as UPenn Weitzman School of Design and Netter Center for Community Partnerships can provide inputs to support them conduct the research.
A design charette is a participatory planning activity that assembles an interdisciplinary team (typically consisting of planners, citizens, city officials, architects, landscape architects, parks and recreation officials, etc.) to brainstorm design and implementation strategies for a specific area. The charette process is a fast-paced activity that aims to capture and communicate the vision, values, and ideas of the community to designers (Involve. (n.d.)).
Students develop three-dimensional models of the vacant lots surrounding the recreation center and perform site analyses on each lot to learn about hydrology, physical design, and planning.
In partnership with UPenn, students will complete tutorials on how to use design tools such as SketchUp and the Adobe Creative Suite. Additional skills, such as hand drawing and architectural model-making, can also be brought in. As a great example, Growing Up Boulder provides SketchUp tutorials for youth (see link in the Resource section)
This session will focus on building leadership skills among youth and could be held by Creative Praxis or another youth-focused group.
Coming out of the Youth Jawn, Creative Praxis shared youth’s interest in learning how to teach their fellow students. This session could focus on how to plan and hold peer learning sessions. Students could then apply these skills as a part of the sustainment section below.
Prioritize engagement activities that provide opportunities for mutual learning and skill building for youth (PCSH).
Physical and psychological safety enhances youth’s ability to participate and learn. To ensure safety, it is important to use trauma-informed practices throughout all phases of youth engagement (Creative Praxis).
Be clear on roles, responsibilities, and decision-making structure for youth and adults, ensuring youth are treated as full and equal partners in the project (Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement,
Be honest with youth about expectations for the project and for how you hope they benefit from participating (WDHS, 2020).
Ensure youth are given the space to participate in truly meaningful ways
This section provides an overview of how engagement with youth can be sustained beyond the immediate engagement period. While the approaches vary in scope and size, they all aim to develop lasting connections with youth and provide benefits to youth beyond immediate engagement activities.
An easy and necessary way to sustain engagement is to report back to youth on how their ideas were incorporated into the final project and programming design (WDHS, 2020).
The relationships youth develop, both with adults and other youth, are often one of the most powerful elements of youth engagement. Create mechanisms and spaces to maintain these relationships, such as follow-up events, social gatherings, or check-ins (CEYE, 2003).
If there are no additional resources or activities related to the project that you can offer youth, work to connect interested youth with other resources, such as internships, volunteer opportunities, or other projects to get involved in (PCSH).
Youth should be given an opportunity to share and reflect on all that they learned in the engagement process. There is power in youth being able to share what they know with adults and their peers. Examples of potential formats include a poster session attended by community members, a series of presentations, or a set of short videos.
This model involves incorporating the YAC into the Department of Parks and Recreation’s existing governance structures, allowing youth to provide input through project implementation and potentially expanding the scope of their work (WDHS, 2020).
An internship program is a great way to sustain engagement with youth, work with them to build professional skills, and compensate them for their time. There are great examples of programs like this on the Resources page.
Involving youth in the project construction
Involving youth in the on-site construction is one way to build youths’ skills while also allowing them to leave their mark on the center. It is important to mention this model involves some safety risks that would need to be considered and all youth working on the site should be compensated for their time.
Continued skill building
Continued skill building with youth could take many forms, such as monthly training sessions, training as part of the recreation center programming, or through creating a mentorship program.
Youth could be given space within the recreation center to teach topics they are interested in sharing, like dance, craft making, or music. This type of peer learning benefits not only the youth attending the training sessions but also the youth leading the session.
Engaging Youth in Heart & Soul Community Planning, Orton Family Foundation is a guide on how to incorporate youth voice in civic planning projects. It includes information on how to prepare, initiate, and sustain youth engagement (Link to the Source).
Kids and Community Webpage, American Planning Assocition includes youth activities and examples of youth engagement in planning (Link to the Source).
Youth Engagement Toolkit, Pan-Canadian Joint Consortium for School Health is a toolkit that outlines best practices in the youth engagement process for initiating, sustaining, and evaluating youth engagement (Link to the Source).
Youth Engagement Toolkit, Wisconsin Department of Health Services is a toolkit designed to help adults engage with young people, specifically on health related programs. It provides an overview of how to engage youth as well as specific youth engagement activities (Link to the Source).
Youth Engagement Resource Page, Texas Network of Youth Services Youth Engagement is a webpage that links to general youth engagement resources, including research on the benefit of youth engagement, organizational readiness assessments, and blogs on youth engagement success (Link to the Source).
Research Behind Elavating Youth Voices, Texas Network of Youth Services, this overview document outlines the research documenting the benefits of youth engagement (Link to the Source).
SketchUp Tutorials, Growing Up Boundler is a series of tutorials geared towards youth on SketchUp, a 3D design and modeling software that can be used in planning, design, and architecture (Link to the Source).
Teaching Young People About Planning, American Planning Association, this webpage provides resources including a curriculum an activity suggestions for teaching youth about urban planning (Link to the Source).
Baltimore Youth Works, Mayor’s Office of Employment and Development, is a program based in Baltimore that connects thousands of young people between ages 14 and 21 to Baltimore-based summer jobs. These positions are paid and pair youth with nonprofit, public, and private sector organizations, as well as provide career-specific skill building trainings (Link).
New Haven Youth @ Work, Youth and Recreation Department , is a program that provides youth ages 14-21 with summer and year round positions at nonprofit, public sector, and private sector organizations. The program also prioritizes mentorship, school and community-based enrichment activities (Link)
West Philadelphia Landscape Project is a decades-long project aimed at restoring nature and rebuilding community in West Philadelphia through strategic design, planning, and education. The work has been deeply rooted in the West Philadelphia community, with strong documentation and a variety of resources and workshop ideas that could be applied to Rebuild (Link).
Angpak, L., personal communication, November 30, 2022
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Philadelphia Housing Authority. (2018). PHA. Retrieved December 5, 2022, from http://www.pha.phila.gov/ pha-news/pha-news/2018/pha-and-city-blackwell-grand-opening.aspx
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