Planners are increasingly being required to engage with local communities, including with young people. The new Planning System, and in particular Local Development Frameworks (and their equivalents), makes this more explicit than ever. The introduction of the Royal Town Planning Institute’s Associate Membership Class in 2007, and the natural inclination of planners to work with other professions, facilitates this process.

So this Manual is for you, the practising planner.

Work with schools and youth services can address three specific areas:

• consulting children and young people about plans, proposals and issues;
• supporting the work of teachers / youth workers who are required to engage young people with sustainability issues;
• raising awareness of the planning process and public participation in it.

The second area is particularly important in building society’s capacity to deal with sustainability issues as they emerge in the future. The third area is important for the future understanding of planning and may encourage some young people to consider planning as a career.

Working with young people can not only be great fun, it can be good for your Continual Professional Development (CPD). For academically qualified graduate planners working towards corporate RTPI membership through the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC), working with young people can provide valuable opportunities to extend your skills and work towards your APC competencies in ways that might not be available through your regular work schedule. Full information on the APC programme, including required skills, knowledge & competencies, can be found at: www.rtpi.org.uk.

We all know the long term benefits to planners of a public that understands better the role of planning, so lets do more to involve children and young people at an early stage. There are also significant benefits to society of a planning profession that better understands young people’s needs. The 2007 Budget report emphasized the importance of placing responsibilities on all public service, facility and infrastructure providers to demonstrate co-operation and engagement of the community.

Author:

Jacqui Ward

Publisher:

The Royal Town Planning Institute

Date:

11-Jun-07

This article has been read 1978 times.