Category #YoungPeople   Show all

• My Mainway Children's Event

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  On the 11th of October 2020, we ran the children’s event at the My Mainway Hub, in Captain’s Row, Lancaster. The event brought together 22 participants, 9 children and 13 adults. he event gave the children of Mainway an opportunity to have their say about what sort of social issues they experienced by living in Mainway; a community whose voice is being heard throughout the six-month consultation project.

  It was a warm sunny day, so instead of drawing indoors, a scroll of paper was fixed to the outside shop window. This was the first activity for the children. On the large scroll of paper, the children mapped out their experiences with the outdoor and indoor spaces of Mainway. They drew places that made them feel happy, sad, excited and frightened. The outside window proved not to be enough space, so the imaginative ideas spilled onto the pavement through chalk drawings, which were popular with people from toddlers to adults.

  In cut-out balloons and prototypes the children expressed what they would like to have in Mainway. They selected the locations where they would like to see their dreams by placing balloons and prototypes on the model of Mainway that we had made to support the interactions. Some children wanted to express their ideas by writing instead of drawing they chose to communicate using our third activity by making a card and hanging it on our wishing line in the window of the base.

  The children and the adults that they brought with them generated lots of ideas during the day discussing where new skate parks should go, how beneficial organised games would be like football, where a nature reserve would go, what new play equipment could be used and what diverse activities could happen in a community centre.

  Two of the parents enquired about the day’s activities and said ‘will the children be able to come and do this every day?’

  Overall, parents, residents and children want more activities and safe spaces for the children of the area. Some of the activities they would like to include sports (basketball, cycling, football, karate, running), festivals (fashion, arts), and music. Also, they would like to have dedicated spaces for children, such as a children hub, playgrounds, trampolines. Safety was one of the issues that they mentioned the most. They would like safer places where children can play with others and not being exposed to anti-social behaviours.

• Scrawl on the Wall

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  On the 24th of October 2020 we had an event called that we called ‘Scrawl on the Wall’ which focused on the young people of Mainway. Young people were invited to share their vision for the future redevelopment of the Estate by using graffiti and lettering methods.

  The event was held at the hub, the My Mainway creative space. That day, the good weather did not accompany us as during the event there was torrential rain and high winds. Such a dark gloomy day only brought two participants who engaged in two activities. Due to this, we decided to carry these activities on in the next days at the daily opening hours of the Hub. This decision allowed us to engage with a total of eight participants and expand our data-gathering set.

  The first activity aimed to generate a single word based on the sustainable future of Mainway and what that meant to the participants. The participants chose typefaces, using an online typeface generator, that best expressed their vision, using graphic and visual design principles. They then drew out the word on a scroll of paper ready to be transferred onto the widows of the Hub, creating a colourful visual mural. The scroll of paper was stuck on the outside of the shop window and then traced from the inside using chalk pens. Ideas emerged around energy efficiency, balanced integration of nature and the built environment, and community building.

  The second one was Graffiti themed, activities that promoted health and well-being for young people. The activity also engaged staff from Lancaster City Council. The participants said that the activity was very therapeutic and mindful. One of the participants brought the youngest workshop member to the Hub, her 4-month-old daughter, who did not on this occasion take part but did entertain the consultancy team, while she designed her artwork. She shared with us:

  ‘I’m actually really enjoying just adding bits from my imagination, I wouldn’t normally do that’.

  The activities of the event relied on the participants’ imagination and creative thinking. A redesigned version of these activities will be included in the next My Mainway Newsletter, aiming to reach more residents and be able to include their views into the consultancy report.