Green Code Youth Ambassador Training



HI Buffalo and WNY! This is Anthony and Adriana from Growing Green and we're reporting back on our Green Code Youth Ambassador Training with Healthy Kids Healthy Communities last Thursday at the BNMC--that's Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. It was important to have this training for youth leaders because youth need to have a voice in how our communities are planned. We have good ideas and we will be the ones growing up there right?? We had over 50 people attend, learn about how we can use zoning to create better communities. We were at the Innovation Center at the Medical Campus and its was cool to be in such a modern building-we felt like scientists.

What's up world? this is Anthony and I think it went great. We had youth from all different areas of Buffalo including East Side, Riverside, South Buffalo, North Buffalo and of course the West Side. We formed different groups and created our own cities and decided what we would use the land for and where we would have residential, commercial, public services, industrial and other uses. We talked about fun recreational ideas for youth, more parks on the waterfront, gardens and urban farms in every neighborhood, even businesses out on Lake Erie on boats. We played urban experience bingo and got to know eachother thru our Where the Wind Blows game. I think the best part was talking about our dream cities--I had a laugh attack but Iliana helped me talk about our perfect city to the big group.

We learned the difference between a program, policy and project and talked about what we wanted to say at our neighborhood meetings.

Well this is Adriana and I thought the best part was talking about what we would change about our neighborhood. We have some vacant lots near my house and I think they should be used to build a beautiful garden for the community, it would make the street prettier and we could grow fruit trees like cherry, peach or pears. I talked with some college students and teens from South Park Highschool and we are all going to call each other to remind us about going to the Green Code neighborhood meetings.

Well that's our report and If you are reading this make sure you go to the Green Code meetings and let them know what you think about how we use land in this city. If we dont they might do something we don't want and you could have to live or go to school next to a factory--What?!?! That's not right. SO dont forget to go and check out the map(http://www.buffalogreencode.com/february-community-meetings/) for when a meeting will be happening in your neighborhood

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