Child and Youth Engagement Strategy

The Child and Youth Engagement Strategy aims to bring more youth voices, especially those who identify as American Indian, Black, or other youth of color, into  San Francisco Planning’s  conversations to plan for an inclusive and sustainable City.

Youth provide unique and fresh voices to the conversation about how to create and plan for a great city.  

A component of the Planning Department’s  Racial and Social Equity Action Plan , the Child and Youth Engagement Strategy seeks to engage with local youth into city planning conversations. By taking an active role in the city planning process, San Francisco’s children and youth, especially those from American Indian, Black, and other communities of color, will have the opportunity to help shape the right choices for an inclusive and equitable future city where everyone can thrive. 

Specifically, the Child and Youth Engagement Strategy will: 

1. Identify steps in which the Planning Department staff can engage children and youth in outreach and engagement processes; 
2. Develop methods of introducing San Francisco’s children and youth to the City Planning profession, and aim to create a career pipeline where the Planning Department staff are reflective of youth in San Francisco; and, 
3. Develop strategies and action items for long-term and sustainable child and youth engagement activities for the San Francisco Planning Department.  

The strategy's recommendations were developed with Planning Department assets, barriers and needs in mind and also considering best practices from research, case studies, and perspectives of experts and leaders in child and youth engagement at both the local, regional and state level.

Recommendations and action items are categorized under each of the following overarching goals:

Look through project examples below to find out more about how the Planning Department has and is continuing to engage with San Francisco's children and youth.

From fall 2020 to spring 2021, the Planning Department, in partnership with staff from the  Child and Youth Friendly Cities Initiative , conducted a series of virtual in-class sessions with SFUSD middle and high school students. Students learned about what city planning is, what the Planning Department does, and about the Child and Youth Engagement Strategy. We also dedicated a portion of sessions to interactive learning, where students shared their own ideas and perspectives on the city, their neighborhoods, and how they would like to be engaged and take action.

Below is a snapshot of what we learned from students about their preferences for outreach and engagement. A  detailed summary  is also available.

"The most important thing to me is having adults act on my views or priorities to change school, community, or the city because because they say they’re going to change things but come by next week it’s still the same." - Presidio Middle School 8th grader 

Starting in spring 2021, students who participated in in-class session with the Planning Department also took a short post-activity evaluation survey. Survey results will help the Planning Department learn more about youth who are participating, monitor the effectiveness of our activities, and adjust our approach to outreach and engagement to young people. Below is a summary of survey results, as of May 27, 2021. Some questions varied by topic of discussion, leading to differences in the number of responses.

The San Francisco Planning Department offers multiple ways for children and youth to connect with us, see opportunities below. If you are a teacher or leader at a community organization and are interested in partnering, please  fill out this form . 

Hear from an SFUSD student at Balboa High School on their experience with the Planning Department in the classroom! Kaylie went on to become a high school intern with the Planning Department.

Kaylie Li, Impact of Youth Voices in Community Planning Virtual Panel, 2021

Produced by San Francisco Planning Department 

•  Introduction to City Planning – Cleaning and Greening , 1st Grade 
•  Site Visit Activity , Grades 9-12 
•  Where Does Housing Come From? A Dramatization , Grades 11-12 

Other 

•  City by Design – Educator Resource Packet , Grades K-5
•  Canadian Institute of Planners – A Kid’s Guide to Building Great Communities , activities for grades K-12 
•  Metropolis, A Green City of Your Own , Grades 3-5 
•  Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt , Grades K-5 
•  Psychogeographical Walk , Grades K-5
•  Science Friday - Environmental Justice: Evaluating Zip Codes and Pollution Burden , Grades 9-12