Youth Consulting

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The Importance of Integrating Youth Voice

Engaging youth in the master planning process is extremely valuable. Youth have a unique perspective around transportation, feelings of safety, youth-centered spaces, activations in parks and more. However, surveys geared towards adults and kids’ tables at community engagement events do not yield representative results. We offer youth consulting services to government departments, sub-contractors, and developers to achieve rich responses from people 18 and under.

Our Services

Youth-Centered Engagement

We can adapt your existing community engagement tools such as surveys, focus groups, or design charrettes to be accessible, educational, and relevant to youth while still being comparable to adult data.

Access to a Diverse Sample of Youth

The Design Center has existing relationships with dozens of schools, community centers, and after school programs that serve K-12 across Nashville. We can take your community engagement tools to the youth and facilitate sessions in these spaces.

Youth on Steering Committees

The Design Center can provide guidance on best practices for incorporating youth voice on a decision-making body. We can also recommend existing youth leaders who are equipped with design and planning knowledge that may serve.

Youth-Generated Recommendations

Facilitated by Vanderbilt University’s Community Research and Action program, the Design Center’s Nashville Youth Design Team can do top-line data analysis and write recommendations.

Meet the Team

  • Alex

    12TH GRADE

  • ALICE

    12TH GRADE

  • ESEOSA

    12TH GRADE

  • IVIE

    12TH GRADE

  • LUC

    12TH GRADE

  • Addison

    11TH GRADE

  • DONIA

    11TH GRADE

  • KAILEI

    11TH GRADE

  • LOIS

    11TH GRADE

  • MATEO

    11TH GRADE

  • MEHRIYA

    11TH GRADE

  • VICTOR

    10TH GRADE

  • ATARIUS

    9TH GRADE

  • AUGUST

    9TH GRADE

  • BEKA

    9TH GRADE

  • IVOREE

    9TH GRADE

  • JADA

    9TH GRADE

  • KIA

    9TH GRADE

Project Example: Imagine Nashville Research

Our team engaged over 2,000 youth in a survey and a design workshop for Imagine Nashville

“I feel like I belong in Nashville.”

60%

of youth “agree” or “strongly agree”
compared to

73%

of adults

The Imagine Nashville youth-led survey and design workshops demonstrated the value of engaging the youth opinion specifically. It brought to light different results than the adults, with one key difference being the sense of belonging in Nashville. Youth-centered places, safety, affordability, transportation and proximity were five key priorities that came from the research to improve youth belonging.

“Do you think in the next 5 years that the growth of Nashville will make things better or worse?”

43%

of youth believe the growth of Nashville will make things worse.

36%

of youth believe the growth of Nashville will make things better.

Project Example: Dream Town for Grundy County

While the Civic Design Center focuses much of its work in urban settings, we actually have workshops geared towards rural communities. In coordination with the South Cumberland Community Fund, our team spent a weekend guiding youth to create their vision for a healthy Grundy county.

Vision Statement

“I look to see Grundy as a safe haven that makes everyone feel included and supported. I hope to see more active development for our youth such as, newer park equipment, more teen inclusion, and things to distract teens from drugs, smoking, etc.”

A major takeaway from the workshop was that the youth wanted to see more activation. They came up with a very thorough concept for a community activity trailer that could hook up to the back of a pickup truck and be taken to different areas around town. There would be a myriad amount of storage to organize different types of activities that young people might be interested in. This trailer concept is actually being funded, so this is a great example of how youth visions can actually lead to change.

Let’s Work Together

If you're interested in working with the youth consulting team, please share few details about your project via email.

Melody Gibson,Youth Initiatives Director
melody@civicdesigncenter.org

Get in Touch