Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Know any F.L.I.P.s? Send Them Our Way!



F. L. I. P. stands for Future Leaders in Planning and it is a leadership opportunity for high school students in the Northeastern Illinois region brought us by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP).



CMAP is the official regional planning organization for the northeastern Illinois counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will.


Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure to meet CMAP Outreach Associate Janet Bright at a McHenry County Council of Governments meeting and I could not pass up the opportunity to help get the word out about their program entering its third year of existence. One, because it is a gem of a program - rich with opportunity for high school students that have an interest in planning and leadership exposing them to leaders in our area as well as encouraging them to be part of the solutions for various challenges of the Chicago Metroplitan Area.




Two, and perhaps the most compelling - I want us to have McHenry County representation in this program. Entering it's third year - I am not even sure how many McHenry County area families and students are aware of this program and the opportunities for networking it presents. Additionally, getting our high school students involved in govermental activities is a personal priority of mine.





There are five specific areas that the F.L.I.P.s will actively address in a team format:


Transportation

Economic Development

Housing and Land Use

Environment

Human Services


These are all critical subjects to municipalities and I would love to gain the perspective from the next generation on how they think we should tackle the challenges that lie ahead in these areas.




The program is free of charge and the applications are due at the end of this month. Follow this link to the full details and the pdf of the application. Please pass on this post to any high school aged students in your life.