UMass Master of Regional Planning candidates, Marcelina Joao, Seth Price, and Danny Villalobos-Ortiz, recently attended the Kelly School Career Fair Day in Holyoke, MA. The group hosted an interactive table that introduced young students to the field of city and regional planning. For one activity, Marcelina, Seth, and Danny gave students a $50 bill to invest in the public facilities they believed would best serve the City of Holyoke and the needs of their communities. Most students put the money in the boxes for a hospital and a food pantry.
"Educating young people about the planning profession is essential if we hope to cultivate future adults who are equipped to make informed and responsible decisions for their community,” said Marcelina.
“I also learned that kids can be more clever than we think when it comes to deciding what is better for their community. Their ability to express ideas about what makes a better community demonstrates the importance of including youth perspectives in the planning process.”