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Creative video showcases youth-friendly city for Geography project

With scooters for rent, right-of-way for bicycles and plenty of greenery along the river, Heilbronn, Germany is a youth-friendly place for teens, especially in summer. It’s no wonder then, that Grade 12 student Sophie Schreiweis gave it a score of 71 out of 100 for a recent Geography project that required students to investigate their neighbourhoods to determine what they want to see in their local, public spaces.
Her creative approach to this project involved making a video, on YouTube here, using the scorecard from Toronto-based Maximum City, a team of teachers, designers and urban planners working for a better urban future. Using its “Youth Score” survey, Schreiweis gave her hometown a score of 82 for "Getting Around"; 61 for "Spaces, Senses and Activities"; 70 for "Safety and Well-Being"; and 73 for "Green Spaces and Environment," with an average tally of 71.

“I created a virtual tour of my neighbourhood as part of my Geography design challenge,” she explains. “We were supposed to only take snapshots of good and not-so-great parts, such as transit, safety and green spaces, but I thought a small movie would be a better way of showing my city.”

Additionally, there was a civic action aspect of the project, says Schreiweis, “The idea was to look into our neighbourhoods and possibly be inspired to talk to city councillors and potentially change some aspects such as more parks or better access to transit. Overall, it was about learning what teens want in a public space and how we can make them more welcoming for them.”

“Such a fun way to share our platform and learn about a city! Great work!” Maximum City tweeted. And what great inspiration for us all to take a Youth Score walk around our own neighbourhoods and beyond this summer.  
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LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We wish to acknowledge this land on which Branksome operates. For thousands of years, it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous peoples from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work and go to school on this land.

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