Veronika Bylicki is an engagement innovator, community builder and sustainability strategist. She is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of CityHive, a social enterprise on a mission to transform the way that young people are engaged in civic processes, in particular planning and decision making. Veronika is passionate about creating more sustainable, liveable cities and amplifying the meaningful engagement of citizens, particularly youth, in addressing urban challenges. With a BSc in Global Resource Systems from UBC, she has worked in Sustainability Education Facilitation, Student Sustainability Engagement, Environmental Assessment, and as a director at Co-Design Engage. Veronika has delivered a TEDxYouth talk on Urban Sustainability and is a former RADIUS fellow and Top 25 under 25 Environmentalist (2015).
CityHive acts as a bridge builder between civic institutions who are facing complex urban challenges, and young people who have the lived expertise, energy and ideas to engage but may lack the opportunities or invitation to do so. CityHive works with civic institutions to create and carry out meaningful engagement processes, and also develops programming to build civic literacy and engagement opportunities through a Youth Hub and innovation labs. CityHive is shifting the narrative that young people are apathetic or disengaged, and believes that through carrying out meaningful engagement processes, instilling civic agency and harnessing the ideas of young people, we can ultimately create more sustainable and resilient cities.