CEDaR's Growing Up ǸԹ program spins off as a nonprofit
³ (GUB) began in 2009, its goal was to empower young people to influence the local issues which affected their lives. For the past 12 years the program wasa part ofCU ǸԹ's Community Engagement, Design and Research (CEDaR) Center. Now one of the most successful child-friendly city initiatives in the world, it'sbeing spun off as an independentnonprofit under the fiscal sponsorship of the Colorado Nonprofit Development Center.
“Growing Up ǸԹ will continue its deep partnership with CU ǸԹ as it evolves during its next phase,"said Mara Mintzer, GUB's director. "It grew from a strong foundation in academia, and the students and faculty have been key to its success."
Therelationship betweenCEDaRand GUB is a model for how theuniversitycan develop, nurture and then spin offnonprofitactivities, saysBrian Muller, associate professor andCEDaRdirector.
“Growing Up ǸԹ beganas a service-basedresearch project and evolved into a program that is now more deeply embedded in the community than the university,"Muller says.“Itwill continue as aCEDaRaffiliate with moreflexibility toraise money and cultivatenewrelationshipsto expandits programs. Spinning it off strengthens GUB and benefitsall itspartners."
Over the years GUBgrew to becomeone of the most successful child-friendly city initiatives in the world.Some of GUB's largest successes include Mintzer's 2018 TED Talk “," viewed 2.3 million times andtranslated into 21 languages; GUB’s “child-friendly city map project,” which brought together more than 30 organizations and 700 young people to create the nation’s firstprinted, bilingual map designed by kids for kids; and the award-winning book, "Placemaking With Children and Youth: Participatory Practices for Planning Sustainable Communities," co-authored by GUB founders and faculty.
University roots
In December2008 Growing Up ǸԹwasconceivedby David Driskell, director of community planning and sustainability for the city of ǸԹ,and Willem van Vliet, CUǸԹprofessor (emeritus) andCEDaRfellow, as an effortto make ǸԹ one of the nation’s first child-friendly cities, recognizing the rights and interests of children in local policy, law, programs and budgets as outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.Louise Chawla,CUǸԹ professor (emerita)andCEDaRfellow, was alsoformative inGUB’sdevelopment.
GUBformallylaunchedin the spring of 2009 through an MOU between CU ǸԹ, the city of ǸԹ and the ǸԹ Valley School District, working in partnership with local nonprofits, businesses, and many participating children and youth. Itsoverall goal was to bring about a culture change so that youth participation in local affairs would no longer be extraordinary, but mainstream and routine. GUB created programming thathelpedlocal youth provide critical input on matters of city planning, education, sustainability, social justice and human rights. It supported a new generation of civic leaders, who tangibly improve their communities by sharing recommendations for city and community design and decision-making.
- Contributed to key city planning guidelines and policies, including seven master plans for open space and mountain parks, resilient cities, and transportation, and more.
Engaged more than 6,000ǸԹ area kids on more than 100 city and community projects. Many program participants work with GUB for three months or more.
Upheld an internal standard to ensure that at least 50 percentof participating program children and youth are from historically marginalized groups.
Worked with more than 60local and county partners to support hundreds of ideation sessions, after-school enrichments, and community engagement events.
Widely cited academic book chapters and journal articles.
Keynote addresses at national and international conferences.
Local, national, and international media coverage.
Training, lectures, and consulting sessions for many global partners, ranging from government staff and elected officials, young people, educators and academics.
GUBhas been a part ofCEDaRand housed inthe Program for Environmental Designfor about 12 years, working in the context of an overallCEDaRphilosophy that focusesonpartnerships with city governments and community organizations;participatory actionresearch; interdisciplinary collaboration across campus;integrated researchby undergraduates,graduate students andfaculty;and engagement with low-income and minority populations.
JointCEDaRand GUB initiatives includethe Hill Redevelopment Project,a three-year effort tobuild engagement among the varied voices indevelopment policy on the Hill. During this project, GUB worked witha Flatirons Elementary fourth-grade class todevelop ideas to make the 11th Street Corridor a fun andsafer place for people of all ages.In another jointCEDaReffort to developinnovative urbandesign for manufactured housingcommunities, GUBengaged with the Ponderosa Mobile Home Park community toencourage brainstorming with children and parents around the design ofgreen spaces, playgrounds and safety, as well asadding new amenities to the park.
In addition,CEDaR provided the GUB partnership withservices includingoffice space and fiscal, computer, human resourcesand communicationssupport; staff oversight; andmanagement ofjoint projects and MOUs.
GUB's evolutioninto a newphase willbe celebrated ata on May 4.