Youth Training Announced for Green Code Meetings

The next round of Green Code meetings has been announced! The meetings will take place between Monday, February 28th and Saturday, March 5th. Check out the map to find the meeting closest to you!

HKHC Buffalo has been working closely with its partners to determine the best ways to get Buffalo youth out to the meetings. We have met with many community groups and youth leadership groups - including the Buffalo Public Schools Inter-High Council - to talk about the importance of the youth voice at the Green Code meetings.

Our youth representatives, Adriana and Robert, told us that students will need some help finding their voice around issues of land use and zoning. When we asked how, they responded that a youth-led training could help students find buddies to attend the meeting with, learn about land use and create talking points so they could convey a clear message. We listened.

A free training for Buffalo youth interested in participating in the Green Code meetings will take place this Thursday, February 24th from 5:00 - 8:00 pm. Dinner will be provided to all attendees, and the training is open to middle- and high-school students. The meeting will take place at the Innovation Center at 640 Ellicott Street.

We know school is out this week - and that students are excited for time off and families are relaxing together. We have worked with the youth leaders to make this training fun - and students can count the meeting attendance toward their community service requirement! Plus, participating in the Green Code process is too important to pass up. We need to hear from youth and their families about what they want most out of their city.

RSVP for the training to Erin at 882-5327 or sharkey@mass-ave.org. You can download the flyer here. See you there!

Great Turnout at the Youth Ambassador Training!

Around 30 Buffalonians came out for the Youth Ambassador Training last Thursday at the Innovation Center on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. HKHC Buffalo and the Massachusetts Avenue Project worked with local high school students to plan and run a meeting that prepared young people in Buffalo to participate in the city's Green Code Process.

The training included land use planning activities, including a map activity that allowed the students to design their own city. Students were given a quick crash-course in land use and zoning - then given maps to design a city that they would want to live in.

Other activities included P/P/P - Policy, Program, Project. This activity helped students to understand the difference between the three, and narrowed their focus for what the Green Code meetings would be about.

Finally, students drafted their own talking points for the Green Code meetings. They asked themselves what is good about my neighborhood? What should change? Each student committed to going to at least one meeting, and found partners that were attending the same meeting. Students were able to create an accountability network to motivate and support each other at the meetings.

A big thank you to the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo for supporting the youth training. And thanks to all the great youth that came out! We hope to see all of Buffalo at the Green Code meetings!