Youth Engagement in City Planning

Ann Dale is a professor with the School of Environment and Sustainability, Faculty of Social and Applied Sciences at Royal Roads University and holds a Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Community Development (crcresearch.royalroads.ca/). She chairs the Canadian Consortium for Sustainable Development Research (CCSDR), a consortium of all the heads of research institutes across Canada, and is active in the Canadian environmental movement. Dr. Dale chairs an organization she created, the National Environmental Treasure (the NET) and is the Executive Co-ordinator, Research and Public Policy for the Canadian Biodiversity Institute.  From 1998-2000, she led an energy efficiency program on behalf of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges. Previously, she was an Executive with the Federal Government, and was one of the two public servants behind the creation of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE).

Dr. Dale is a Trudeau Fellow (www.trudeaufoundation.ca), as well as a Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Sciences. She is also a Board member of the World Fisheries Trust, and the Advisory Committee to the Montreal Institute for the Environment. Dr. Dale holds degrees in psychology and public administration from Carleton University, and a doctorate in Natural Resources Sciences, McGill University. Current research areas include governance, social capital and sustainable community development, biodiversity policy, and deliberative electronic dialogues (crcresearch.royalroads.ca/edialogues). She is a recipient of the 2001 Policy Research Initiative Award for Outstanding Contribution to Public Policy for her book, At the edge: sustainable development in the 21st century.

Doug Ragan is currently taking his PhD in planning and architecture at the University of Colorado Children, Youth and Environment Centre. Doug previously worked with the Environmental Youth Alliance in Vancouver, Canada for 17 years. as the Senior Manager in charge of the Youth, Governance and Research department. His most recent accomplishments in the youth field were coordinating the youth program for the World Urban Forum (www.eya.ca/wuf) and working UN HABITAT in establishing youth centres in 4 cities in East Africa.

Erica Lay is human geographer, with a B.A. in Geography and International Development Studies from McGill University. Through guiding youth on backcountry trips and working with youth in outdoor education on the west coast of Canada, Erica has gained an understanding of the value of experiential or hands-on elements of youth engagement. As the Youth Engagement Coordinator for Safer Cities Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Erica recently facilitated a youth community asset mapping project on Youth-Friendly Services in 15 wards in Dar es Salaam. Erica is currently a Planning Analyst with the BC Government's Carbon Neutral Program.

Royee Alvarez is an architect with a Masters in Urban Management (The Netherlands) with an emphasis on City Development Strategies. Currently, he works for the Town Planning Office in the Municipality of San José — Costa Rica’s capital city —where he coordinates a wide range of projects from economic development, city-marketing, ICT-trends, to city development plans with private sector participation. In addition, he coordinates international cooperation with inter- institutional teams on the future development of a sustainable San José.

Jackie grew up in Vermont and graduated from Northeastern University with a dual B.A. in Environmental Studies and History. She is currently serving as an AmeriCorps*VISTA on enVision Montpelier, a long-term sustainable planning initiative. She is particularly interested in food systems and she hopes to pursue a career in this field.

Amber Zirnhelt is actively involved in local and international youth engagement and youth-led development initiatives. Amber is a Project Officer with the International Centre for Sustainable Cities, where she coordinates ICSC’s Youth Engagement Program. She holds a B.A. Honours from the University of British Columbia and a M.Sc. in Geography from the University of Edinburgh, where her studies focused on community planning and participatory engagement. Her experience in project coordination includes working with First Nations in coastal British Columbia on the University of British Columbia Coastal Communities Project and in community development, climate change adaptation, resource management, recreational planning and youth engagement. Amber's international experience includes tropical conservation ecology research, and teaching environmental education on Isla Colon in Bocas del Toro, Panama.

Amber is on the board of directors for Young Peace Brigades, a non-governmental organization based in Dunkwa-on-offin, Ghana, an organization that promotes sustainable community development and access to education. Amber, an alumnus of the Canadian Millennium and Canadian Merit scholarship foundations, maintains her participation with these two prestigious national awards which recognize outstanding performance in leadership, academics and sports. Amber is a founding member of the Global Youth Fund and is actively involved with the organization of the World Youth Congress series and the United Nations World Urban Forum — Youth Organizing Committee. Amber is also a professional mountain bike racer and has a passion for the outdoors. Amber is a part of Canada’s Esteem Team (www.esteemteam.com) and does motivational speaking about goal setting with students at elementary and high schools. She has traveled extensively throughout North America, Europe, the United Kingdom, and parts of Latin America.

Angus Joseph is a viral engineer and soft information marketer dealing with neural networks and new media platforms (web2.0/ mobile phones). He is also the Director General of the CCC, a community based NGO focusing on using media and performance to create positive change in society. To this effect, the CCC is presenting workshops at the upcoming United Nations Conference on Youth and Urban Safety (ICC, Durban, June 17-21), as well as a media toolkit (CD/DVD component). Angus is conducting an experiment using the Imagine Durban's Facebook group, driving content to the blog site, as well as databasing and stimulating conversation.