2019: Stretching Out and Growing Up
If 2018 was the year of pipe cleaners, spray paint and sticky notes, then 2019 would be the year of the spinning wheel and Timbits.
Confused? Read on and we’ll explain why.
2018 was a year of many firsts — strategizing, starting new initiatives, and positioning ourselves as the youth engagement specialists. We were building a foundation to fulfill our mission: to create new ways for youth to participate in city building. We were putting our foot in the door.
This year, we saw ourselves swinging that door wide open and taking full strides towards that goal. Like many of the young people we work with, over the span of merely a year, we felt our arms and legs stretching longer than before and our minds advancing in maturity. We are growing as an organization and we are proud to share with you the progress we have made.
Stretching Out: Strategy + Design
When we first launched our Strategy + Design service last year, our goal was to bridge the gap between decision makers and youth so we could create truly youth-friendly cities.
As a start, we reached out to other professionals. We hosted a workshop at the Canadian Institute of Planners annual national conference in Ottawa to showcase best practices in youth engagement to planners and city officials. We also provided training to Toronto Public Library youth services staff on how to co-design library spaces with their youth users.
We advocated for youth’s presence in bigger city-building conversations that are taking place. We made sure that not only are youth’s ideas being heard, but that they also have, literally, seats at the table.
How did we do that? We recruited our own 1UP Executives and Fellows as youth ambassadors at pop-ups to engage with the public for the City of Markham’s strategic plan update and for Evergreen’s Future Cities Canada Community Studio. More youth voices were incorporated into these two projects as we assisted with targeted events and social media campaigns. We also partnered with Encore Lab to share youth’s research on climate action with conference attendees and weekend visitors at Evergreen.
Thanks to Evergreen’s generosity to secure complimentary tickets for our 1UP team, these passionate students attended one of the largest gatherings of city-building professionals in the country at Future Cities Canada Summit, and they certainly showed up to share their thoughts on moving the needle forward.
Growing Up: 1UP Toronto
2019 was a record-breaking year for 1UP Toronto. We had more students registering and attending our annual youth conference than ever before. We had a larger cohort of 1UP Fellows completing the Leaders Lab than 2018. But what blew us away the most? We tripled the number of school chapters, from four to twelve, in just a year!
In the last twelve months, our participants shared their ideas on the new youth spaces at York Woods Library and explored new programs and activities on the Meadoway. They transformed their school library space, built new and playful furniture for their peers, redesigned a transit pamphlet, and added much-needed greenery to their school entrance.
These are all signs telling us that 1UP Toronto is not only growing in size, but it is establishing itself as a truly youth-led program that injects fresh ideas and brings real change to the neighbourhoods of our city.
Now back to the spinning wheel and Timbits.
When we were preparing for the 1UP Leaders Lab, our three-day leadership program in August, we were hitting a wall brainstorming about how we would interact with people at Open Streets TO in a fun and meaningful way. Rising to the challenge, our creative 1UP Executive Team took the initiative to design and build a spinning wheel from scratch, like the ones you see in game shows, so that visitors could play a game of city-building trivia with our participants.
It was, of course, a hit with adults, teens and children alike, who lined up to test their knowledge and that gave our participants the opportunity to initiate conversations about the city we live in.
We came to the 1UP Executives again for advice, when we were thinking of a simple incentive to motivate young people to participate at our pop-up for the City of Markham.
“Timbits! Kids love Timbits!”
“Yeah, people want Timbits.”
Sure enough, the sugary dough balls attracted the longing stares of young people at a local youth networking event and soon people were crowding around our booth sharing their thoughts on what their city government should prioritize in the next four years.
These two seemingly simple things are symbolic of what made all the difference this year. While we expand our Strategy + Design service and 1UP Toronto continues to mature, we are listening to our own youth team and giving them more autonomy to refine the work that we do.
Youth engagement is all about giving power to the next generation, and that is what we’re passionate about.
Be part of the #CitiesForYouth movement!
We’re gearing up for more action in the new year and we want you to be part of it!
How can you get involved?
- Save the date: March 7, 2020. We’re hosting our 1UP Toronto conference once again with RU A Planner. Whether you’re a student or a professional, there are ways for you to participate. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter and we’ll keep you updated.
- Join our team! We’re recruiting two more volunteers: a Project Coordinator and an Outreach Coordinator. If you’re interested, let us know and we can chat.
Finally, a few thank-you notes.
We would like to first thank our past and current team members, Justina, Janice, Alex and Tessa for their incredible work and tireless dedication.
Thank you, 1UP Executives and Fellows, for playing an instrumental role in the growth of our program and improving the quality of our work overall.
We are also very grateful for the guidance of our Advisory Board and the generous support of our sponsors.
To our mentors, facilitators and volunteers, thank you for sharing your precious time and invaluable experience.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Ryan and Angela
Co-Founders
