On Wednesday November 20, 2024, we facilitated a hands-on Place It training for 60 urban planning students from Cal Poly Pomona’s Urban & Regional Planning program. A core driver of taking a more hands-on and sensory-based approach to the engagement was to set an enthusiastic and aspirational tone for community engagement that makes room for all voices, placemaking, connecting with nature other people, and the places we hold important in our lives.
The idea was that by creating a playful and positive environment, students would be more likely to feel comfortable sharing and learning from each other and would be in the perfect mental space to be creative and aspirational.
The two and half-hour training served as an icebreaker bringing together undergraduate and masters students in urban planning. The diverse student body bonded over favorite childhood memories and collaborated in building their ideal corridor. The training felt more like a party than a class and illustrated to the students that community engagement can be meaningful and joyful.
The students reflected on their own lives to understand what they bring into the profession. They were able to reconfirm their core values as to why they are joining the profession. Understanding themselves will help them understand the communities they serve in the future by knowing that not one size fits all.