Surrey Shapers ran Nov 2022-Feb 2023 for young people living in Surrey who wanted public spaces that reflect them and their community.
Together, they created meaningful and fun public space interventions and made deep connections with other local youth
During this 3 month-long workshop, youth will learned how cities work and the foundations of public space. They were connected with grassroots organizations, city staff, and community members to discuss new and innovative ways to use public space. Finally, they created a project that activated a public space to better reflect and serve their community.
We were honoured to host the first ever cohort of Surrey Shapers!
Surrey Shapers: Public Space is a program for youth aged 18-30 who are excited to build up their knowledge and skills to reimagine their public spaces so that their cities better reflect them.
This program encourages collaboration, creativity, and innovation. It prioritizes storytelling and bringing youth voices to the table so that they can co-create a space that reflects their wants, needs, and desires. Whether you’re an artist, storyteller, mechanic, designer, communicator, climate activist, tech whiz, public space enthusiast, musician, carpenter, sound designer, student, or person, you have the power to influence your public spaces.
Through a knowledge-to-action program, participants left the program with new tools to help shape their environment. By the end of the program, they had developed a community impact project: redesigning and activating a public space so that Surrey better reflects their voices, perspectives, and needs.
Participants got to:
- LEARN: How local government operates, including jurisdiction, decision-making, and levers for change; Developed a basic understanding of democratic theory and key urban issues relating to Public Space in Surrey (including but not limited to gentrification, urbanization, hostile architecture, housing & homelessness). Explored public space from a wide range of community members, like city staff, community organizations, other youth, and grassroots organizations. Some of the themes included: What is public space? What are some of the complications around public space? What does it mean to have public space on unceded lands? What do people mean when they say they are “placemakers,” and how can we bring a more inclusive vision to urban planning and public space activations?
- INVESTIGATE AND IDEATE: Youth worked collaboratively in teams of 4-5 to investigate an aspect of public space and create a project to activate a space. Youth got to practice key skills like project management, conducting site visits, and creating asset maps. Youth also practiced giving and receiving feedback from each other and community members. Through Community Building, this program brings youth together to create connections across educational, professional and/or cultural silos through creative and experiential project development and learning together. We develop a cross-cultural understanding of varied lived experiences and how they relate to individual and collective experiences of public space
- APPLY AND TAKE ACTION: With a focus on storytelling, this program seeks to create opportunities for youth in the program to tell their own stories and express their own identities through their action projects and within the program, as well as the stories associated with the land and place on which the program takes places (both recent/documented histories and oral/ancestral narratives). Working in teams, youth worked on projects with support from facilitators and community organizations. Our goal is for the youth participating in this program to become a part of a diverse group of youth who are excited about their city and all the potential for Surrey’s public spaces.
Our hope is that youth who participate in this program become a part of a diverse network of youth who are eager to take action across Metro Vancouver.
SESSION DATES
Program Kick-off:
Session 1: Wednesday, November 23, 2022
Learning and Foundations:
Session 2: Wednesday, November 20, 2022
Session 3: Saturday, December 10, 2022
Session 4: Wednesday, December 14, 2022
– 2 weeks off for the holidays –
Ideate and Action:
Session 5: Wednesday, January 4, 2023
Session 6: Wednesday, January 11, 2023
Session 7: Wednesday, January 18, 2023
Session 8: Wednesday, January 25, 2023
Session 9: Wednesday, February 1, 2022
Celebration Event:
Session 10: Saturday, February 11, 2023
Program Overview:
Over 4 months, participants attended 10 sessions, including a final community event. The program consists of three learning modules:
Module 1: Learning & Foundations
Week 1-4
Guiding Questions & Content:
- What is public space?
- What are the complications around public space?
- Municipalities 101
- Decolonization 101
- What does “Placemaking” mean?
Module 2 : Skills & Project Development
Weeks 5-6
Building Skills, including:
- Project Management
- Giving and Receiving Feedback
- Creating projects to scope and scale
- Develop relationships with other groups and stakeholders
Module 3: Action
Weeks 7-10
Applying Knowledge & Skills to:
- A public space transformation project
- Celebration event with community
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the program start and how long is it?
The program starts on November 23, 2022, and runs weekly, primarily on Wednesday evenings until February 11, 2023. There will be 2 Saturday sessions. There will be no sessions between December 21-January 2. (See full list of session dates above)
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How long does the program run each week?
Each week we will meet for 2.5 – 3 hours between 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. (Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for participants to eat – yes, we will provide food and beverages!)
Weekend sessions will be from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. on Saturdays.
In addition to program time, you should anticipate spending 2-5 hours working on project-related tasks when you get into modules 2 & 3.
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How do I apply?
You can apply using the link at the top of this page. You will have the opportunity to complete a written application using the link above. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any issues with a written application; we will assist you.
Applications are open until November 13, 2022.
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How much does it cost to join?
Our programs are free to you! There is ZERO cost to join Surrey Shapers: Public Space. We do offer additional honorariums and financial support. Please contact us for more information.
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I haven’t been a part of a program like this before – is that okay?
Surrey Shapers is meant to be an entry point into learning about public space. In fact, we encourage youth who have never been a part of this type of program to apply! We work with a great team of facilitators and knowledge holders to ensure content is accessible and inclusive to all participants – regardless of the level of knowledge coming into this program.
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I don’t live in Surrey, is that okay?
While we are prioritizing residents of Surrey for this program, if you have strong roots and connections to Surrey, please expand upon this in your application form.
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Who will I meet?
We bring together a diverse group of 25-30 youths with various backgrounds. You will meet other youth participants who are just as eager as you to make their voices heard in public space. You will also meet local government officials, decision-makers, thought leaders, and subject matter experts and have chances to meet community members, past program participants, and our amazing team of facilitators.
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What do we do during the program sessions?
GREAT question! Our program sessions are pretty jam-packed. Our sessions are hands-on and interactive – and encourage active participation. We like to say that you’ll get out what you put in. We make sure to utilize body breaks throughout the sessions.
We blend content delivery and workshops with dialogue, group discussions, breakout sessions, and peer-to-peer learning. You can expect that we will deliver a presentation and invite you into conversation with your peers as we learn together.
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What’s the goal of this program?
This program is designed to do 3 things: (1) build youth’s knowledge, skills, and capacity to activate public space (2) create tangible pathways for youth to shape their city so that it reflects their wants and desires and (3) enhance relationships between youth, their civic institutions, and organizations across Metro Vancouver.
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What’s the program like - how much time will I spend working on these projects?
The program is designed for you to get what you put into it. This is a project-based program where you are expected to work collaboratively with your peers to activate a public space. This will require community engagement, outreach, and some investigative research to understand the problems of public space better. As we move into modules 2 and 3 of the program, you can expect to spend between 2-5 hours each week, in addition to program session time, working with your group.
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THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS
This program wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of:
