Spend five days in June with CMAP! Students invited to apply for Future Leaders in Planning

Future Leaders in Planning participants pose in front of a wall in Chinatown

Today’s high school students will be tomorrow’s northeastern Illinois’ leaders. Do you want to learn how the decisions that shape our region are made? Spend five days in June with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) as part of the Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) summer program!

CMAP seeks high school students from Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties who want to learn about urban planning and our region and share ideas about how to make northeastern Illinois a better place to live, go to school, work, and play.

  • When: five-day 2026 FLIP program will take place over two weeks from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day
    • Week 1: June 23, 24, 25, 26 (Tuesday – Friday)
    • Week 2: June 30 (Tuesday)
  • Where: Students will meet at CMAP’s office at the Old Post Office in downtown Chicago (433 W. Van Buren St.). The program is fully in person, and it will include field trips.

The program is completely free to students, and includes snacks, meals, public transportation to and from sessions, and materials.

The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. on Friday, May 1. Apply to be part of the 2026 FLIP cohort.