Youth invited to reimagine Sioux Falls with City Build 2040 event

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - South Dakota Afterschool Network (SDAN) announced its plans to host a two-day City Build 2040 event at Terry Redlin Elementary’s afterschool program.

The event will take place from 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 15, and Thursday, March 16.

City Build is a hands-on experience for K-5 youth using recyclable and crafting materials to build a model of their own community 20-30 years in the future. The event is organized to challenge students to be creative when tackling challenges such as climate change, resource depletion, evolving community needs, and other challenges like the ones our city officials navigate daily. Students will work with peers, volunteer group leaders, afterschool staff, and local experts to envision what they want their city to look like.

“Our City of Sioux Falls team is excited to volunteer for this unique opportunity with South Dakota Afterschool Network,” said Dustin Hansen, street operations manager for the City of Sioux Falls. “Building and maintaining a city takes creativity and strategic thinking, and we hope these kids are inspired by the activity and learn more about the tremendous work it takes to keep Sioux Falls functioning.”

“Creating opportunities like City Build where youth are given a voice and access to real-world examples of people who are carrying out this kind of work is an important element to introducing career opportunities and challenging young minds with hands-on experiences,” said Billy Mawhiney, Executive Director of the South Dakota Afterschool Network. “Afterschool programs provide an ideal environment to let kids really dive in and explore new concepts in a meaningful way.”

Participants in City Build will work on day one to learn from our city employees and strategize ideas about how they would like the city of Sioux Falls to look in in the year 2040. They will begin construction and experience challenges to their process. On day two, students will complete projects and present to each other the functionality and reasoning for their design choices.

“South Dakota After School Network is such an incredible asset in our community and across the state when it comes to really understanding, advocating, and providing afterschool programming for youth,” said Rebecca Wimmer, Coordinator of Community Partnerships at the Sioux Falls School District. “We are thrilled to be partnering with SDAN for City Build at our Terry Redlin Afterschool program. Giving kids the opportunity to create, explore, and envision the future through hands-on experiences serves to build the skills that will last a lifetime.”