PLANet YOUTH 2009: Building Bridges to a Sustainable Future
Conference for Youth Leaders From Around the Country to be held at the University of California, Berkeley from June 4 – 7, 2009

Berkeley, CA – National organization devoted to "creating a place at the table" for youth in urban planning, policy and community change holds third annual conference bringing together young planners and adult allies to network and share best practices.

Young people possess an innate curiosity to explore the city, ask challenging questions, and imagine possibilities. By traveling from home to school, biking to the park, or hanging with friends on the block, they become expert evaluators of neighborhood spaces. Still, youth are often left out of public processes where decisions are made about the future of the spaces they use.

Founded in May 2007, at the Planners Network Conference in New Orleans, the Young Planners Network (YPN) has since tripled its membership, establishing four Local Chapters (in New York, New Orleans, Chicago, and the Bay Area), receiving fiscal sponsorship and capacity-building support from the California Center for Civic Participation, and presenting work in conferences and journals nationwide.

Young Planners are students engaged in urban planning, policy or action in their communities, either through a school project, internship, after-school program or community organization. Adult Allies are teachers, urban planners, mentors, employers, and community members supporting the work of Young Planners. YPN brings together Young Planners and Adult Allies who are working to ‘create a place at the table' for youth in planning processes, by both incorporating planning content into K-12 education and by advocating for change in planning practice.

PLANet YOUTH 2009: Building Bridges to a Sustainable Future will be YPN's third annual conference, where youth and adults from around the continent will learn about local and national activity around sustainable, equitable development and climate change. Through peer presentations, skill-building sessions, mobile workshops, facilitated discussions, a film festival, and more, Young Planners will expand their understanding of environmental urban issues, learn about sustainable planning practices, and consider ways to implement these models in their own communities.

Young planner, intern, and conference organizer Marvin Salazar comments, "We hope to motivate change by preparing youth with ideas & projects that they can implement in their own communities." Through PLANet Youth, YPN hopes to lay the groundwork for active youth engagement in planning and policy-making processes surrounding sustainability issues. Organizers are also taking steps to minimize the conference's carbon footprint by reducing disposable materials, food waste and single-occupancy vehicle travel.

Registration is open! All interested youth, educators, students, planners, and community-based organizations can find details, including a detailed schedule of events and registration materials online at www.youngplannersnetwork.org.

Contact: Alissa Kronovet, National YPN Co-Director, (510) 665-1558, [email protected]