Media Advisory: Champions for Change Idea Summit to be held May 11

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Champions for Change, a program offered by the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning, will hold its fifth annual Idea Summit from 10 a.m. to noon on May 11 in 403 Hayes Hall on the UB South Campus.

The program, which serves as a learning laboratory for local citizens, helps participants turn community-building ideas into action through a series of hands-on workshops with UB faculty and students and community leaders with expertise in marketing, design and planning.

This year’s theme of regenerative development recognizes the efforts of the Haudenosaunee, the Native American confederacy that has championed the symbiotic relationship with the land for hundreds of years.

Keynote speaker will be Flip White, a member of the Wolf Clan of the Seneca Nation, who will discuss the region’s legacy of regenerative development as it relates to the Iroquois Great Law of Peace.

The summit will feature presentations from project leaders and this year’s eight Champions for Change on initiatives that include a tiny house movement on Buffalo’s East Side, a greenhouse to grow food year-round in Niagara Falls and a community action group in the Village of Springville.

“Our goal is to connect the resources and knowledge of our program with the community, to provide on-the-ground learning opportunities for our students and build meaningful relationships with community members,” said Robert Shibley, dean of the UB School of Architecture and Planning.

The course is part of the Citizens Planning School developed by the One Region Forward sustainable development plan for Erie and Niagara counties.

This year’s program director is Darren Cotton, director of community development and planning for the University District Community Development Association and a graduate of the architecture school’s master of urban planning degree program.

More information about the summit is available at http://ap.buffalo.edu/news/2019/ideasummit_2019.html.

Press arrangements: Rachel Teaman, on site, at 716-834-5686.