growing the future - University of Colorado Denver

GrowinG the Future
news From the Children, Youth and environments Center For researCh and desiGn
Fall 2007 vol. Fall 1, no. 2006 2
welCome to the second issue of Growing the Future. We have accomplished
a lot in the past six months and are excited to share some of our work
with you. If you would like to contribute a story or if you have comments or
questions please email us at cye@colorado.edu. Enjoy!
do Gardens Grow healthY Communities? by Ian Bates
For the past three years I have
been part of a team of researchers,
led by Professor Jill Litt, investigating
the relationship between community
gardens and health. The study, Gardens
for Growing Healthy Communities
(GGHC), is funded by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention.
We completed several phases of data
collection, and are now embarking on
data analysis to inform an intervention.
The study kicked off with mapping
workshops and semi-structured
interviews with leaders of community
gardens throughout Denver to explore
the complex connections between
community gardens, neighborhoods
and health. Analysis of the interviews
and maps informed the creation of
the Neighborhood Environment and
Health survey. The survey effort has
produced 450 questionnaires with
individuals concentrated in “study
neighborhoods,” including almost
Youth transplanting tomatoes at a community
event in Casa Verde Garden in the Baker
neighborhood. (Photo: Lisa Knoblauch)
100 community gardeners. Recently,
a team of research assistants created
and deployed a neighborhood audit
that parallels the survey to compare
subjective survey data with objective
environmental measures.
The GGHC study has also been
a unique collaboration with Denver
Urban Gardens (DUG) and Front
Range Earth Force (FREF), two Denver-based
non-profit organizations.
From the outset, DUG and FREF have
been integral to the study. Likewise,
one of the primary project aims has
been to involve the wider gardening
community in a meaningful way. After
the mapping and interviews, the
Healthy Neighborhood Network was
formed with garden leaders and researchers.
Every month for the past
year and a half, the project team and
gardeners have engaged in a process
of community-led research and research
informed actions. Through this
process the gardener network has
voiced a strong desire to use community
gardens as a tool for increasing
the health and well-being of Denver
youth. This has led to plans for the
study intervention to involve a project
connecting older adults with youth in
garden settings, with the goal of improving
the health of all involved.
My own doctoral research will be
a corollary to the GGHC study. It will
explore many of the same questions
about community gardens and health,
but will focus on existing youth gardening
programs in the area. This
work is slated to start at the beginning
of the 2008 gardening season.
Ian Bates is a fourth year PhD student who
has been gardening since age 10.
From the direCtor
Last April, when I was in
Nairobi to facilitate a global
dialogue on poverty reduc-
tion and sustainable develop-
ment, the Governing Council
of UN-Habitat during its meet-
ing there adopted a resolution
to establish a fund for Urban
Youth Development. This un-
precedented action serves to
confirm the relevance of the
CYE Center mission to current
needs around the world.
Joining us in our work
are several new people. Last
spring, Rachel Cleaves started
as Community Outreach Coor-
dinator for the Learning Land-
scape Initiative, and five en-
vironmental design students
entered the Center’s new in-
ternship program to help with
a variety of projects, followed
by another five this summer, of
whom Allison Hawes will con-
tinue into the fall. Alcinda Lewis
and Karen Hollweg are new Re-
search Affiliates with great ex-
pertise in science and environ-
mental education. This coming
year, two visiting faculty will
be our guests: Kumi Tashiro
from Miyagi University, Japan,
and Oguz Sinemillioglu from
Ýstanbul Technical University,
Turkey. We are looking forward
to the arrival of two new PhD
students who will contribute
to CYE initiatives: Tizai Mauto
from Zimbabwe and Doug Ra-
gan from Canada. Tizai takes
a keen interest in participatory
planning with youth and Doug
has extensive international ex-
perience in community devel-
Continued on page 2
Children, Youth & Environments Center for Research and Design • University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center

Continued from Cover
opment with youth. We also
welcome back George Awuor,
who recently completed field
work in Nairobi. Debbie Flan-
ders Cushing just left for a five-
month stay in Mexico. We will
miss her but she’ll be a splen-
did ambassadress for CYE, and
we wish her a safe and wonder-
ful time. Ernesto Arias retired
into the Costa Rican sunset. I
am grateful for his steady sup-
port for CYE since its inception
and hope to lure him back for
visits.
At this time, several proj-
ects are nearing conclusion
(TrailerWrap, Horizons Design
Camp, Safe Routes to School),
while others are continuing
apace (intergenerational mural,
The Place of Children), or get-
ting underway (Casey Middle
School, Healthy Communities).
The Learning Landscape Initia-
tive continues to thrive and the
Child- and Youth Friendly City
Initiative is gaining momentum
as it engages 10,000 Denver
residents of all ages in a vision-
ing process to make Denver a
model for US cities.
This newsletter can only
provide a glimpse of these and
other projects, but the new
website offers a wealth of in-
formation.
Finally, we have formed an
exciting partnership with Big
Green Rabbit, a children’s me-
dia initiative, and are exploring
collaboration with UNESCO’s
Growing Up in Cities Program.
We are also discussing a pos-
sible role for CYE in preparing
the next State of the World’s
Cities report. Stay tuned. We
are grateful for your support
and welcome your ideas as we
move forward.
Willem van Vliet—
Director
renovations to the CYe Center underwaY!
If you haven’t been in Room 234
in the ENVD Building in the past six
months, you’re in for a treat! We
recently moved into this space as
our location for the CYE Center and
have begun renovations. Changes
include a new kitchen and library
space, a colored concrete floor to
replace the old carpet, and a new
layout to accommodate 13 student
work stations, a large work table,
a lounge area, and a conference
room. We have also hung artwork
and added plants to make the space
more inviting. Additionaly, we are
working with Architecture Professor
and green building expert, Julee
Herdt, new architecture faculty Matt
Jelacic, Blake Sullivan, and recent
graduates of the ENVD program,
Bradley Smith and Benton Grismer,
to build an environmentally friendly
partition wall and conference table
for our conference room.
Watch for an invitation to our
open house coming soon!
new CommunitY outreaCh Coordinator
In March, Denver Learning
Landscapes Alliance hired Rachel
Cleaves as its Community Outreach
Coordinator (COC), who will encour-
age civic engagement to steward
Learning Landscapes in eighteen
at-risk Denver neighborhoods. The
position is funded by Denver’s Of-
fice of Economic Development and
is mandated to increase the use of
the Learning Landscapes, organize
neighborhood-based steering com-
mittees for stewardship, conduct
leadership trainings, organize com-
munity events, and serve as a liai-
son between Learning Landscapes
and the communities they serve.
Rachel comes to the COC posi-
tion after graduating from CU with
a Master’s in Urban and Regional
Planning. Her experience in com-
munity organizing includes serv-
ing as In-Country Director for an
CYE welcomes your tax-deductible donation. Please send your gift to:
University of Colorado Foundation - Gift Processing
P.O. Box 17126
Denver, CO 80217
international development pro-
gram based in coastal Belize. Since
1990, Rachel has also coordinated
volunteer projects in Mexico, Para-
guay, and Ecuador. Most recently,
she worked as a wilderness therapy
instructor, leading groups of adju-
dicated youth and working on team
building and mentoring. Rachel was
born in Peru and grew up in Mexico
and Panama.
or download a simple gift form at http://www.cufund.org/giveonline/.
Please, indicate your gift is for the CYE Center and if you wish to target a
particular project or use. We sincerely appreciate your support of CYE!
2 Children, Youth & Environments Center for Research and Design • University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center

who’s who in CYe
dr. pamela wridt
joined the faculty of the Depart-
ment of Planning and Design in
2005, excited by the opportunity to
help build the capacity of the CYE
Center. She served as Assistant Ed-
itor of the CYE journal from 2005-
2006 and is a Research Associate,
focusing on research and advocacy
efforts about children’s environ-
ments in the Denver area. Over the
past two years, Pamela has been
engaged in numerous projects, in-
cluding research on safe routes to
school, children’s physical activity,
and city-level youth leadership.
Currently Pamela is directing a
multi-year research grant from the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
entitled, “Children’s Guide to Physi-
cal Activity,” aimed at understand-
ing neighborhood level factors influ-
encing children’s physical activity.
Pamela’s research team partners
with elementary school children
GeorGe awuor is a PhD
student from Kenya. He spent five
years in college in the southern Indi-
an state of Karnataka in the 1990s,
where he completed a B.A. in Eco-
nomics and later a Masters degree
in Library and Information Science
from the University of Mysore. Af-
ter two years of further graduate
study at Arizona State University,
George joined the Design and Plan-
ning Ph.D. Program at CU. Through
the CYE Center, he has gained criti-
cal research skills and knowledge
about child and youth participa-
tion in planning. He has also been
part of research projects, including
Growing Up in Cities in Nairobi, the
Child & Youth Friendly City Initia-
tive in Denver, and an evaluation of
Denver’s Learning Landscapes.
This past winter, George left the
U.S. for Nairobi to carry out field
work for his dissertation, a quali-
tative study of youth involvement
in community development through
highlights people who are new to our community
and their caretakers and teachers
in two diverse Denver neighbor-
hoods to understand opportunities
and constraints on children’s mo-
bility and access to resources for
healthy development.
the Mathare Youth Sports Associa-
tion (MYSA). Mathare is one of Nai-
robi’s large slums, and MYSA is a
well-known program that organizes
Mathare children and youth into
soccer teams which compete na-
tionally and internationally, as well
as do service to improve their local
environment. To put the challenges
of these young people in perspec-
tive, Nairobi has about three million
people and, tragically, 60% of the
population lives in slums. Through
constant contact, intimate discus-
sions, and interviews with people
living in slum areas, George has
gained first-hand experience of
their everyday lives in ways that he
never imagined. The experience has
caused him to think deeply about
how he can effectively contribute
to the solution of the problems he
sees.
Pamela has extensive experi-
ence implementing participatory
research projects with children and
youth and enjoys mentoring doc-
toral students, “One of my great-
est joys being involved with CYE is
my ability to engage CU students
in real world projects that bridge
theory and practice.” In 2006, PhD
students Illène Pevec, Debbie Flan-
ders and Uddhab Bhandary won the
“Chancellor’s Award for Excellence
in Graduate Student Research,”
testament to Pamela’s mentoring
efforts.
Pamela has also been active in
Denver’s Child & Youth Friendly
City Initiative, for which she served
as Youth Participation Coordinator,
George is also involved in a
CYE-UN HABITAT sponsored project
focusing on the everyday lives of
Executive Committee Member, and
Youth Executive Committee Member.
Pamela helped kick off the initiative
by engaging 20 youth in the de-
sign and implementation of You(th)
Speak, an event that attracted over
100 youth and 50 adults to voice
opinions on issues affecting young
people in Denver.
She teaches on both the Boul-
der and Denver campuses, serves
on dissertation committees and was
nominated for a teaching award in
the spring.
young people living in difficult ur-
ban conditions across the globe. He
is collecting information about Judy,
a young girl who resides in one of
Nairobi’s slums, for a CYE-prepared
book, Places of Children, that will
feature the active roles of children
in meeting the challenges of their
lives and improving the conditions
of their communities.
Photo: Jennifer Kirschke
• • • • • • •
Children, Youth & Environments Center for Research and Design • University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center
3
3

CYe FaCultY and students have shared their work at a number of recent conferences, including:
Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute Conference (RMLUI) - March 2007
The Center’s work was featured in a session on “Planning and Design for Healthy Child Development” at the 16th Annual Land Use Conference of the RMLUI of the
University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Professor Louise Chawla opened the session with an introduction to the Center’s mission and the resources that it offers
to planners, architects and developers in the metro-Denver region. Research Associate Beverly Kingston followed with a description of Denver’s Child and Youth
Friendly City Initiative. Members of the audience then circulated by a series of posters about initiatives with which the Center’s Ph.D. students, researchers and
faculty are involved. The posters were created by Illène Pevec on “Creating Places of Wonder” through schoolyard gardens, Debbie Flanders Cushing and Louise
Chawla on “Benefits of Nature for Children’s Health,” Bambi Yost on “Mapping Places of Play and Prey with Denver Kids,” Beverly Kingston on the “Child and Youth
Friendly City Initiative of Denver,” and Pamela Wridt on the “You(th) Speak” event to gather the voices of Denver children and youth. The posters were designed by
CYE Center interns Jennifer Justus, Stephanie Guild, and Sarah Benedict.
Association of American Geographers - April 2007
At the annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers in San Francisco, Darcy Varney presented her paper, “Situating Young People in Urban Planning
and Design: Lessons from the Denver Skate Park,” as part of a session coordinated by Caitlin Cahill (University of Utah) and Tracey Skelton (University of Loughbor-
ough, UK). The paper session, “Children, Young People, Social and Environmental Justice II: Making the Connections,” focused on the social justice issues inherent
in planning for “child-friendly cities” and comprised one of many inspiring sessions at the conference dedicated to research in child and youth geographies.
Environmental Design Research Association Conference (EDRA) - May/June 2007
Graduate students, research associates and faculty connected with CYE were a very visible part of the EDRA Conference that met in Sacramento. Beverly Kingston,
Pamela Wridt, Darcy Varney, Bambi Yost, Debbie Flanders Cushing and Kelly Draper Zuniga presented a well-attended symposium on “The Child and Youth Friendly
City Initiative of Denver.” Illène Pevec organized an intensive session on “Sustaining the Schoolyard Garden,” which included a presentation by Bambi Yost on the
Learning Landscapes Initiative. Illène also gave a poster presentation on “Participatory Video with Youth in Brazil,” followed by a showing of four videos which she
created with youth in Santo Angelo, Brazil. Louise Chawla and Pamela Wridt contributed to a symposium on “Learning from Ten Years of Growing Up in Cities.” Darcy
Varney began her service on EDRA’s Board of Directors, following her election as the board’s student representative.
a learninG landsCape in new orleans by Zoe Selzer
Since late 2005, the College of
Architecture and Planning at CU
Denver has been working with resi-
dents of the Lower Ninth Ward of
New Orleans to rebuild after Hurri-
cane Katrina. Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. Charter School was the physical
and civic heart of that community,
and it will be the first school to re-
open in the area. Graduate students
in architecture and planning, led by
Lois Brink, Professor, Austin Allen,
Interim Chair of the Landscape Ar-
chitecture Department, and Pamela
Wridt, faculty member and Research
Mapping exercises with children from the
ninth ward. (Photo: Pamela Wridt)
Associate, have been working with
the school community to design a
“learning landscape,” a creative ap-
proach to playground facilities. This
new facility will provide the only
safe outdoor play opportunities for
children in the community. This ef-
fort has led to a partnership of the
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter
School, the community of the Low-
er 9th Ward, the College of Archi-
tecture and Planning, and the CYE
Center.
Dr. Doris Hicks, School Princi-
pal, and Robert Bruno, Attorney at
Law, are leading the efforts to raise
money and awareness for this proj-
ect. The estimated costs for this
large-scale school yard redevelop-
ment and program management is
$1.5 million.
Thus far they have had success
opening negotiations with The Loui-
siana Board of Education to provide
support for the program through ad-
ministrative funding and assistance
Pamela Wridt and a young girl create chalk
drawings together. (Photo: Zoe Selzer)
purchasing two church properties
located on the site. Kaboom is con-
sidering assisting with a volunteer
build for new play equipment and
Metro Disposal of New Orleans has
agreed to donate demolition servic-
es. Additionally, two local artists,
Keith Calhoun and Chandra McCor-
mick, have agreed to donate photo-
graphs of the Lower Ninth Ward to
be sold to benefit the school.
Zoe Selzer is a Masters student in Urban
and Regional Planning and works with Lois
Brink.
4 Children, Youth & Environments Center for Research and Design • University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center

the suCCess oF “a Child’s Garden oF peaCe” by Illène Pevec
In 2004 Illène Pevec initiated
a participatory video project with
youth in the Centro Sul neighbor-
hood of Santo Ângelo, Rio Grande
do Sul, Brazil, where she has been
working since 2001. About sixteen
teens and a dozen children twelve
and under participated in a series of
art exercises, including storytelling
from their own lives. Seven of the
teens finished documentary scripts,
and a group of nine youth finished
four documentaries about them-
selves and their community, each
seven to twelve minutes in length.
Myra Margolin, a young filmmaker
When I think of a child friendly
community, I think of just a
nice, simple, environment. A
tree, bushy and tall with fresh
green grass blowing in the wind
around it. I think of a bright,
vivid sun, and a light blue
sky, glowing with warmth. But
I also think of music. Feeling
the warmth of music is almost
just as warm as the warmth
of the sun. Together warmth
should fill the world. Music is
a luxury one can only fulfill by
listening, and by listening, one
could discover the true beauty
in the world. If peace is what
you think of as a child friendly
community, then music would
be a great contribution.
by Mitra Ghaffari
6th Grade
Horizons Alternative School
and artist doing
her PhD in com-
munity psychology
at the University
of Illinois at Ur-
bana Champaigne,
taught video pro-
duction skills and
edited with the
youth advising her.
Computer editing
was beyond our
capacity to teach
in our month long
project. The youth
have no access
to computers except minimally at
school. The intention of this project
has been to give the youth a voice
to the world.
In 2006 the youth did the final
approval of the edits, and Illène
began submitting the films to fes-
tivals. This April, the Aspen Valley
Film Festival awarded an Honorable
Mention prize and $200 to “Centro
Sul Neighborhood,” written and di-
rected by Fernanda Guimarães Fer-
reira, age 14. They also showed
this same film in the Aspen Inter-
national Shorts Fest. “Centro Sul
Neighborhood,” “Gaucho Culture”
by 13-year-old Patricia Barbosa
and “Tatiane,” by Tatiane Vieira, ap-
peared in the youth division of the
Cine Las Americas Latin American
film festival in Austin in April. Myra
did a presentation on the project at
the American Association of Geog-
raphers conference in April. Illène
showed all four films at the Envi-
ronmental Design Research Associ-
ation conference in Sacramento, CA
in May and did a poster session on
the participatory video process and
how it can be used for research on
the physical, social, and economic
environment. Viewers who saw the
film and knew Brazil made the com-
ment that the films show vividly the
challenges facing millions of Brazil-
ian children and youth.
Stephanie filming in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo: Illène Pevec)
A documentary that Illène pro-
duced, wrote, co-directed and co-
edited with Myra Margolin, “A Child’s
Garden of Peace,” tells the story of
how the young people of this com-
munity came together with Illène’s
facilitation to plan for and create
an improved outdoor environment
in their neighborhood. After sev-
eral international showings in 2005
and 2006, this January the film ap-
peared at the Wild and Scenic Film
Festival in Nevada City, California,
and is now touring many towns with
the same festival. In 2006 Natural
Heroes, a TV series with an envi-
ronmental focus, included “A Child’s
Garden of Peace,” and it appeared
on many PBS stations nationwide.
That series just won an Emmy this
May. Any money the films raise
goes into a scholarship fund for the
youth. The prize money for Fernan-
da’s film will be divided amongst
the nine youth on the production
team when Illène returns to Brazil
to work with them this fall.
• • • • • • •
Illène Pevec is a PhD student who has produced
and directed award-winning documentaries
with the children and youth with
whom she works with in Rio Grande do Sul,
Brazil
Children, Youth & Environments Center for Research and Design • University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center 5

the BiG Green raBBit by Louise Chawla
The CYE Center serves as the
Educational Advisory Board for the
BIG GREEN RABBIT, a new initia-
tive in children’s media. Conceived
by Shane DeRolf, a Boulder-based
leader in children’s entertainment,
the purpose of the initiative is to
use television, books, music CDs,
videos/DVDs, e-magazines, the In-
ternet and live events to promote
healthy eating habits and exercise
in engaging ways while inspiring
children’s connection to nature.
The initiative was launched in June
with the first of four public audi-
tions in the metro-Denver area to
select BIG GREEN DANCERS--100
children aged 4 to 8 who will per-
form on an interactive Rocky Moun-
tain PBS television special airing
in the fall, as well as community
events and performances called
BIG GREEN HOPS. The TV special
denver’s CYFC initiative launChes Conversation CampaiGn by Darcy Varney
On May 2, representatives of
CYE, the City of Denver, and As-
sets for Colorado Youth introduced
a group of more than 60 supporters
of Denver’s Child & Youth Friendly
City (CYFC) Initiative to the Initia-
tive’s core focus for 2007: a com-
munity-wide conversation about
what will make Denver a child and
youth friendly city. The event, held
at the ACY Voices of Strength Con-
ference, marked the first anniver-
sary of the CYFC Initiative, which
CYE Center Director Willem Van Vliet- talks
with YEC member Whitney Blair at the May 2
CYFC event. (Photo: Darcy Varney)
and events also feature a cast of
VERY BIG GREEN DANCERS—9-
to-15-year olds who mentor the
younger children and teach them
their dance routines—and a seven-
foot-tall rabbit named Charlie. (See
www.BigGreenRabbit.com.)
DeRolf observes, “As adults,
we may want to provide healthier
choices in entertainment and life-
styles for our children, but unless
those choices are able to connect
with children on their level, it rarely
works.” By making exercise, healthy
eating, and playing outdoors magi-
cal and fun, BIG GREEN RABBIT
products and events persuade chil-
dren to engage in healthy lifestyles
because they want to. The hundreds
of children who auditioned for a
role as a BIG GREEN DANCER, for
example, left the auditions munch-
ing organic carrots.
was launched at the same confer-
ence in 2006 with the support of
Mayor John Hickenlooper.
Eight members of the CYFC
Youth Executive Committee attend-
ed the event and helped launch the
community-wide conversation cam-
paign. The goal of the campaign
is to collect 10,000 “voices” from
children, youth and adults around
the city of Denver by the end of the
year. By July 1, the CYFC Initiative
had already logged 2,003 voices—
responses to two key questions
distributed on survey cards to in-
dividuals and organizations around
the city. Community members have
also responded via a Web-based
version of the survey, available at
www.partoftheconversation.org.
The questions are: What are the
best things about Denver for young
people? If you were in charge of the
city, what would you do to make
Denver a better place for young
According to DeRolf, “BIG
GREEN RABBIT is the healthiest
children’s brand on the planet.” The
CYE Center supports this goal, ad-
vising the initiative on the science
of childhood obesity, children’s re-
lationship with nature, and design
for active outdoor play.
The Big Green Rabbit dancing with a Big
Green Dancer. (Photo: Louise Chawla)
people to live?
Denver’s efforts to become the
number one child and youth friend-
ly city in the nation are gaining
momentum and earning the city
a place in progressive discussions
about how to improve urban en-
vironments for people of all ages.
CYFC representatives Nancy Gilder,
Corey Jones, Beverly Kingston, and
Evelyn Baker were among leaders
from 40 cities invited to participate
in a youth civic engagement confer-
ence in Hampton, Virginia, in April,
as part of that city’s recognition by
the Kennedy School of Government,
Innovations in Government Award.
For more information about the
CYFC Initiative, visit our web site:
www.cudenver.edu/cye/cyfc.
Darcy Varney is a PhD student and the Director
of Special Projects for CYE. She is
conducting research on youth-adult partnerships
and youth development with the Denver
Child & Youth Friendly City Initiative.
6 Children, Youth & Environments Center for Research and Design • University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center

an interGenerational mural by Willem van Vliet--
CYE has teamed up with the So-
ciety for Creative Aging (SCA) to
create a mural for our new space in
the Environmental Design Building.
The project began in the spring of
2007 and is scheduled to take 18
months to complete. Last spring
SCA members worked with stu-
dents from 1st through 7th grades
Illya Kowalchuck, a Horizons teacher, and
first grader Jeremy Leiber talk about what
a child friendly community is. (Photo: Lynn
Lickteig)
desiGn Camp by Debra Flanders Cushing
This summer we gave students
at Horizons Alternative K-8 school
in Boulder the opportunity to com-
pletely re-design their sandbox
during a two-week “Design Camp.”
Each week we worked with 12 to 13
children ranging in age from 6- to
11-years old and taught them as-
pects of the design process, includ-
ing basic design principles such as
incorporating symmetry, creating
gateways, and framing views.
Design camp followed on the
heels of a semester-long course
titled “Participatory Community
Ian and Jake play in the temporary sand
pile. (Photo: Debra Flanders Cushing)
at Horizons Alterna-
tive School, with addi-
tional participation by
CU students. Activities
included haiku writing
and concept mapping
to identify qualities
children find important
for child-friendly en-
vironments. Children
created leaves based
on what they found im-
portant. These leaves will become
part of a Tree of Life, the branches
of which will provide a canopy for
multi-media art panels around such
themes as diversity and sustain-
ability, which the children identified
as important to child-friendly com-
munities. Linked to sustainability is
the notion of ecological footprints,
which led to the transformation of
Shaun and Stephanie work on their model.
(Photo: Debra Flanders Cushing)
Planning: Designing Healthy Com-
munities with Children and Youth.”
During the spring semester, we
worked with all of the students at
Horizons to brainstorm design ideas
for an outdoor classroom, conduct
a preliminary site analysis to deter-
mine the existing conditions, priori-
tize ideas and issues, and come up
with conceptual designs for differ-
ent areas of the school grounds.
During Design Camp, we facili-
tated an evaluation of their exist-
ing sand box, a “boring” rectangle
with wood that “causes splinters.”
After a number of drawing activi-
Decorated sneakers representing ecological footprints.
(Photo: Lynn Lickteig)
old sneakers into marvelous art
pieces. Further work will include
the creation of additional art work,
culminating in the installation of the
mural and its inauguration through
a public celebration in the summer
of 2008.
For more information, check out our website:http://www.cudenver.edu/cye/inter-
ties and informal conversations,
students decided on a dragonfly
shaped sandbox. Other elements of
the chosen design included a maze
leading into the sandbox, a tunnel
leading out, a small playhouse in
one wing, and large boulders for
seating areas.
Much to the disappointment of
the children (and our frustration),
construction of the dragonfly could
not be completed during camp as
planned due to scheduling conflicts.
However, one week later, an inde-
pendent contractor completed much
of the construction. Kylon Preibe, a
six-year old who was there to ob-
serve the construction, summed it
up, “I can’t wait to start school in
the fall so I can play in it!”
Design camp was partially fund-
ed by a grant from the Institute for
Ethical and Civic Engagement at
CU-Boulder.
• • • • • • •
• • • • • • •
Debra is a PhD student who tries to involve
children in all phases of the design process.
Children, Youth & Environments Center for Research and Design • University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center 7

Children, Youth and Environments Center for Research and Design
1060 18th Street, Room 234
Campus Box 314
Boulder, CO 80309-0314
www.cudenver.edu/cye
CYE Staff
Willem van Vliet-
Director, CYE Center
Bob Surles
Chair, CYE Board
Fahriye Sancar
Professor
Louise Chawla
Professor
Lois Brink
Professor and Director,
Learning Landscape Initiative
Pamela Wridt
Research Associate
Beverly Kingston
Research Associate
Darcy Varney
Director of Special Projects
Debra Flanders Cushing
Newsletter Editor
You’re InvIted to....
Denver’s Child & Youth Friendly City Initiative Collaborative Exhibition
August 17 – September 17, 2007
The Gallery at Nine10Arts, 910 Santa Fe Drive, Denver
This month-long exhibition will feature discussions, an international film festi-
val, a dance night for youth, and much more. Events include:
Opening First Friday Reception
Featuring live music by young artist Ryan J. Elwood
Friday, August 17, 6 – 9:30 p.m., FREE
Corner Stone Fundraiser for an orphanage in Africa
Featuring live music by Andrea Ball, Autumn in Repair and Alright, Alright.
Saturday, August 25, 8 – 11:30 p.m., Admission: $8
CYFC Exhibition Sunset Reception
Community celebration and acknowledgments
Friday, September 14, 6 – 9:30 p.m., FREE
And Many More!
For more information about the CYFC collaborative exhibition, please check the
website at www.thegalleryat910.com or contact Darcy Varney at darcy.varney@colorado.edu.