Chicago, IL – National organization devoted to "creating a place at the table" for youth in urban planning, policy and community change holds fourth annual conference bringing together young planners and adult allies to network and share best practices. Annual Conference to be held at the University of Illinois at Chicago from June 10 – 13, 2010.

While national media turns its attention to outbreaks of violence among young people in our cities, an alternate trend receives little coverage - youth participation in urban planning. In metropolitan regions across the United States, highly organized groups of young people are working to strategically address issues of quality of life and sustainability in their communities, using the tools of professional planners. Over the past three years, several of these groups have formed a grassroots network to increase their efficacy by sharing best practice models and coordinating efforts.

Since it's founding in 2007, the Young Planners Network (YPN) has expanded from twenty to over three hundred members nationwide. In cities across the country, youth are engaged in urban planning with support from local institutions, universities, schools, communities, and non-profit organizations. Chapters serve to connect youth and adult allies working in the field, through monthly meetings that provide a venue for partnership and community-building, a place to share work and ideas, to plan and implement local projects that better their communities and cities.

"Joining the YPN has definitely been one the best decisions I have made during high school. It has made me more aware of where I live and how different factors play a role to make my community better."
- Young Planner, YPN Steering Committee Member & Conference Organizer, Lynda Lopez

PLANet YOUTH 2040: Look to the Future! is YPN's fourth annual conference, where youth and adults nationwide will learn and integrate long-range solutions to creating healthy, equitable cities. Over one hundred young people will participate in skill building, peer presentations, mobile workshops, facilitated discussions, a film festival and more! Young Planners will expand their ability to integrate urban planning disciplines (i.e. housing, design, sustainability, transportation), create long-term guidelines for improvement of their cities, and explore why their participation is essential.

Through PLANet Youth, YPN hopes to lay the groundwork for active youth engagement in long-range planning for years to come. Organizers are taking steps to engage youth from both urban centers and suburban communities to make the conference a regional effort, and will create a national platform for engagement as an additional outcome.

This year's conference is planned in partnership with fiscal agent, the California Center for Civic Participation, the Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement and the Urban and Public Affairs program at the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP). We are also proud to have the American Planning Association (APA) and Planners Network (PN) as co-sponsors.

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

Contact Drew Williams-Clark, YPN Steering Committee member at (312) 450-4119, [email protected]