Designing Neighborhood Solutions

A Youth Summit on Safety and the Built Environment

THE ISSUE:  Neighborhood safety is an issue currently affecting all young people in Boston. By showing them how design solutions can build safer neighborhoods, they are empowered to positively affect their community.  Design introduces them to new ways of seeing the world around them.  It takes them on a creative, educational journey where they discover how they can become future designers, planners, builders and community leaders.

THE EVENT:  CDRC-Boston’s first Youth Community Design Summit brings together Boston’s youth, its community organizations, and its professional and volunteer designers for one exciting day of brainstorming, learning, creating, and networking on design solutions to building safer communities. The Summit will be followed later in summer 2008 with a real-life opportunity for youth teams to work on a design solution to further economic development and enhance safety in one of the city’s neighborhoods.

WHEN:  Saturday, June 21, 2008, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

WHERE:  The Roxbury YMCA, 285 Martin Luther King Blvd.

WHO:

• 100 diverse Boston youth age 12 to18 who are ready to get involved, who are likely future leaders, and who are interested in the architectural design professions.
• Community and neighborhood leadership organizations who will serve as adult volunteers and presenters.
• Volunteer professional and student designers who will guide youth teams in the day’s learning and creative endeavors.

• Participatory lesson linking neighborhood design and built elements to safety
• Design opportunity in teams using Boston safety “hotspots”
• Report out and constructive critiques of proposals
• Panel presentation from community and neighborhood organizations
• Opportunity to talk with, get information from, and sign up with local schools, programs, and organizations

• Recommend a youth organization for us to contact!  We are seeking participation from diverse youth all across the city of Boston, and your assistance can help us find the young leaders from every neighborhood who will come together for this event.
• Join us as a volunteer!  This is a great chance for building industry professionals and students to work with young community members; innovative and excited volunteers are needed to plan and facilitate the day's activities.
• Donate to the event!  Monetary and in-kind donations help to make this event a success.  Full information about donor opportunities can be downloaded here.