Last Updated on April 12, 2018 by cassnetwork
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) joined student groups from across the state for the 2017-18 My Community, My Vision(MCMV) final event this afternoon. Young adults from LaPorte, Cass County, Logansport and Indianapolis, with support from their Local Units of Government (LUGs) and graduate students from Ball State University’s School of Urban Planning, presented their community vision plans during a luncheon earlier today.
“These students identified opportunities for their communities to invest in their future,” said IHCDA Executive Director Jacob Sipe. “We look forward to supporting these students and municipalities as they implement all or portions of these plans in the coming months.”
Last September, local units of government were encouraged to identify high school students in their community to participate in the 2017-18 MCMV program. Over the past several months, students from LaPorte, Cass County, Logansport and two Indianapolis groups worked alongside their city leaders, IHCDA staff and Ball State University faculty and students to outline their ideas for enhancing the development and quality of life in their hometowns.
The MCMV program is supported by Indiana Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and is administered by IHCDA with assistance from Ball State University.
“Our young people should always have a seat at the table when municipalities – both small and large – are engaged in community planning,” said Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch who serves as board chair of IHCDA. “Many of these students after high school will leave their hometowns for higher education and training opportunities. Through their involvement in this program we hope that they decide to return to their hometowns, start a family and use their talents to further their communities.”
MCMV was developed with the belief that young people in Indiana should not have to leave their hometowns in order to achieve their dreams. Previous participating groups have developed community vision plans that lay the groundwork for student entrepreneurship opportunities, community gardens, bike-share programs, farmer’s markets, and other programs students wanted to see brought to their hometown. Others have raised grant funding and in-kind donations to implement projects developed in the MCMV planning process.
SOURCE: News release from the Indiana Office of Housing and Community Development Authority