The Community Planning Academy (CPA) is a new project being developed by the American Planning Association - Illinois Chapter (APA-IL) to make planning education more accessible to communities that have been historically excluded from the process. APA-IL hopes to run this new program in partnership with organizations and agencies looking to build capacity for community education and partnership outside of project specific cycles.
Desired Program Outcomes:
Educate participants, called Community Fellows, on planning history, practices, and tools.
Recruit perspective Community Fellows that are not currently engaged in the planning process, with emphasis on those who come from historically underserved and under-resourced communities.
Develop a diverse group of Community Fellows in every neighborhood throughout Illinois.
Create and cultivate an alumni base of Community Fellows that will stay engaged with both their communities and APA-IL.
Provide opportunities for Community Fellows to stay engaged, continue learning, and spread their knowledge.
The APA-IL Board of Directors has started to create the framework for the Program and we are excited to open our Call for Volunteers to build out the Program in its entirety. If you're interested in contributing to this program please fill out this interest form.
Note: Although we welcome student volunteers we are prioritizing professional members for content creation.