[This blog post was originally published on Jen Baughan’s LinkedIn newsletter – Jen’s Hope in Action – April 2024]
I’m delighted to share an article this week from our brilliant Big Ideas Programme Coordinator Amy Ackroyd. Each week, during our team meeting, a different team member leads, sharing a new theme, activity, or introduction. Last week, Amy brought up this fascinating theme. Thank you, to both Amy and the wider team for allowing me to share it here.
In our weekly team meeting, I broached the topic of young people and their utilization of public spaces. Approaching it from my own perspective, I was pleasantly surprised by the diverse responses from my team, all stemming from the same brief text and video clip.
The beauty lies in our varied lenses—the unique ways each of us perceives the world. During our discussions, the team emphasized their individual perspectives on this topic.
My personal journey with this issue began during a holiday in Cyprus when I was a teenager. At a shopping centre, my family and I witnessed a stream of high school students pouring in. It was their last day of term, and they congregated in the food court, sipping coffee, munching on snacks, and exchanging smiles. Occasionally, a parent or grandparent would drop by, and no one seemed to bat an eye at the dozens of teenagers simply hanging out.
As a UK teenager, I was taken aback by the lack of intervention. Why weren’t authorities stopping them from using this space in such large numbers? It struck me as incredibly sad that I was perplexed by young people enjoying a space meant for everyone.
This experience fuelled years of observation and connections between social phenomena. It culminated in my Sociology and Social Policy degree, including my dissertation on young people’s use of public space, linked to consumerist-based social theory. Now, working with teenagers, I feel the need to revisit this topic.
At first glance, little seems to have changed. However, my fresh perspective considers this issue from multiple angles and lenses.
Here’s what some of my colleagues had to say:
Fran Isherwood: Through our Youth Insights programme, we engage in conversations with young people. One crucial aspect is the role of communities in the UK’s net-zero future. To create sustainable, carbon-neutral spaces, we must involve young people in reimagining existing areas and constructing new ones. Leaving no one behind is essential.
Claire Fitton: Public spaces foster unexpected connections and challenge assumptions. Young people increasingly rely on virtual connections, often with like-minded peers. They should be central to infrastructure projects, with designated spaces for interaction and play.
Bethony James: As a parent of a disabled child, I’ve noticed the limitations in accessing public spaces for those with limited mobility. Even when access exists, the range of accessible activities remains limited. Regardless of age, public spaces should be inclusive. To achieve this, diverse voices—youth, disabled individuals, and people of different backgrounds—must shape their planning.
Sarah O’Conor: It’s a no-brainer—we should actively involve young people in designing and decision-making for public spaces.
The research out there shows how young people using public space is key to youngsters developing independence, autonomy and ways of functioning as individuals in society. They need to develop identity, ownership and freedom. Over the years many policies have been brought in to prevent skating, sitting, simply being with more than 1 or 2 people, horrible noises that only young people can hear to stop them being present for too long – I could go on. To me it seems that over the years there has been a lack of respect for the needs of young people in this regard.
What is most important to you when considering this topic?
Let’s continue these conversations and ensure that our public spaces truly serve everyone.
Written by Amy Ackroyd, Big Ideas Programme Coordinator, April 2024