Service learning in Nystrom can have real community impact. That’s the message three seniors from Kennedy High School taught educators last month at the National Youth Service Learning Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The students, Alma Cardozo, Maria Esparza, and Inez Hudson, shared their experiences in Youth – Plan, Learn, Act, Now (Y-PLAN), an award-winning program created by UC Berkeley’s Center for Cities and Schools, where their students mentor and engage local high school youth as genuine stakeholders in planning projects.
Through Y-PLAN, the students made recommendations on the City of Richmond’s multi-million dollar redevelopment of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Park and Community Center, while also receiving community service credit. The program, which was generously sponsored by State Farm through LISC, demonstrated to the students that they could have a voice in making a difference in their community. After the youth presented their vision to the Mayor, City Manager, project architects, and other stakeholders, some design changes were made to the plans.
Ariel Bierbaum, Program Director for the Center for Cities and Schools, explained that the Y-PLAN model is unique since it offers “youth the opportunity to be directly involved in city planning where they provide professional recommendations to their client, the City Manager’s Office, while connecting this work to core academic curriculum.”
Following the Nashville presentation, Elizabeth Hale, LISC’s service learning coordinator observed, “I have never seen so many questions from the audience in the six years I have gone to this conference.” The students’ presentation was one of the few youth-led sessions at the conference, and they had the opportunity to answer questions and provide their perspectives on participating in the program. “As these students prepare for college and work, the conference was a great opportunity for them to hone their communication skills and get national exposure for their work,” said Ms. Bierbaum.
