Co-creating a child and youth friendly COVID-19 recovery plan for marginalised communities in Cardiff

Detail

A civic mission project in collaboration with Cardiff University’s Community Gateway, Grange Pavilion Youth Forum and the Child Friendly City Team of Cardiff Council.

Working with children and young people from communities in Cardiff to co-produce a greener and fairer, child-friendly recovery plan for Grangetown, through a series of workshops and engagement activities.

The COVID-19 pandemic responses, including social distancing, school closures and prohibition on outdoor activities, have accentuated social and spatial inequalities, particularly for children and young people (CYP).

The experiences of children and young people living in overcrowded households, in high-rise flats, and those with no access to gardens and limited or no access to the internet is evidently not the same as children in a spacious household with access to ICT, a private garden and a high-quality park.

Evidence suggests that there will be long term detrimental effects of the pandemic on CYP’s health and wellbeing.

Communities

Communities will need a recovery plan for coming together and for re-generating outdoor sociability and greenspace access for CYP. Building on the success of Cardiff University’s Community Gateway Project, this project will work with Grangetown community in Cardiff and proposes a series of civic mission activities with children (ages 8-11) and young people (ages 12-17) for co-creation of a child- and youth-friendly recovery plan.

The activities will include:

co-assessment of the neighbourhoods with children and young people, with an aim to understand how COVID-19 restrictions have impacted children’s everyday experiences
co-creation of a recovery plan
co-building of one element, designed and chosen by children
co-production of a toolkit.

The activities will be carried out through a series of workshops with children and young people that will apply a range of creative methods such as child led photo-walks, technology assisted inventory of the neighbourhood etc.

Aim and objectives

The project aims to improve the wellbeing of children and young people and empower them through co-creation of a recovery plan for their communities. The project takes a child and youth centred approach, as often their voices remain unheard in the process of design and urban planning.

The recovery plan for child-friendly Grangetown will include recommendations that can be applied in other communities in Cardiff, and throughout the UK.