Local students’ designs used to ‘Make Space for Girls’ in Central Park

By Molly Smith

24 October 2024

women's safety community safety parks

Chelmsford City Council has been working with teenage girls and gender diverse young people from The Boswells School to ask them what would make our green spaces more appealing to them.

Earlier this year, a group of 13 Year 9 (now Year 10) students volunteered their time to work with Chelmsford City Council and the charity Make Space for Girls to identify ways to make Central Park safer, more inclusive and more welcoming for girls, young women, and gender diverse young people. The project culminated in the students presenting their designs in the Council Chamber and work is now beginning to bring those ideas to life!

Students Ideas For Central Park — Students discussed what they would like to use Central Park for and the area could be adapted to suit their needs.

Public spaces should be inclusive to everyone

In recent years, particularly following the pandemic, many of us have come to appreciate the importance of being in nature and the benefits it can have on our mental health, as well as our physical wellbeing.

Public parks offer everyone the chance to interact with nature and are a vital part of public life, providing the opportunity for activity, social connection, and community cohesion. However, in practice parks frequently become gendered spaces, with the majority of recreation provisions (such as multi-use games areas, football pitches and skate parks) being used by boys and young men.

Skatepark In Central Park, Chelmsford — Central Park’s recreation provisions include a skate park, tennis courts, and a multi-use games area.

Due to the male domination of parks, teenage girls and gender diverse young people often feel that they do not have outdoor spaces they can claim for play, relaxation and social interaction.

To counter this, Make Space for Girls campaigns for more consideration of girls and young women in the design of parks and public spaces.

Working with Make Space for Girls and Social Place

The consultation programme was led by Make Space for Girls and Social Place, engagement specialists whose focus is enabling diverse voices to contribute to design and planning decision-making.

Over six sessions, they worked with the students to identify what would appeal to them in public spaces and what would make them feel safer in Central Park. Seating areas, lights and more colour were top of the list!

Students Were Encouraged To Share Their Ideas

Make Space for Girls and Social Place spent time helping the students find inspiration and create their own designs.

Designing for girls and gender diverse young people

Discussions revealed that the current provisions in Central Park are purpose-driven, while the group wanted to use the park to socialise with their friends. They didn’t feel they could do that in a multi-use gaming area, tennis court or skatepark, and so didn’t feel that the park was for them.

The students all agreed that what they’d like was an inclusive, relaxed seating area, where they could spend time without feeling like they were “in the way” or “taking up space” where they weren’t welcome. They also wanted a lot of colour and lighting, to make the area feel welcoming.

Imogen Clark, from Make Space for Girls, says there isn’t an “off the shelf” solution to the way public spaces have become default male:

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“The key to making spaces work for excluded young people is to understand their take on their local spaces, the barriers they face to enjoying these spaces and involving them in the design process.

“What really stood out to me was how considerate the students were of other park-users. I had to work to get them to shift focus from not taking away from other people and start thinking about what they wanted for themselves. Once they did though, the ideas flowed!

“It was great to see how empowered they felt creating their designs and then how proud they were when they presented them to councillors and council officers. Once they’d given their presentation, I think it really hit home that the council were going to make this happen for them and change the park based on their ideas.”
Imogen Clark, Make Space for Girls

Presenting their ideas in the Council Chamber

Once the students had decided what they wanted to see in Central Park, they presented their ideas to Councillors and Safer Chelmsford partners, including representatives of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) for Essex, as well as their families and peers.

Students Speaking In The Council Chamber — Students speaking in the Council Chamber.

Councillor Donna Eley, Cabinet Member for a Safer Chelmsford, said it was great to see how invested the students were in the project:

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“Their designs were so impressive, and they presented them really well. The evening was a testament to how important it is to give young people a platform to share their ideas.

“Chelmsford City Council is committed to creating a more connected Chelmsford for everyone and I’m really looking forward to seeing these ideas come to life and provide a space for the young people behind them.”
Cllr Donna Eley, Cabinet Member for a Safer Chelmsford, Chelmsford City Council

The work of Make Space for Girls, Social Place, and the costs of bringing the students’ design to life have all been funded by Safer Streets, a government funding scheme dedicated to tackling violence against women and girls and antisocial behaviour, which is allocated by the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex.

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“Nobody should feel afraid or unwelcome in their own community, but the sad fact is that many women and girls do. We need to work together to ensure our public spaces are suitable for everybody. Giving young people a voice makes a real difference, generates new exciting ideas and helps to change the way we create safer spaces within our communities. Well done to all of the students for their hard work and creativity.”
Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex

Celebration event to thank the students

To thank the students for their hard work and commitment to the project, a celebration event took place in Central Park this summer. Students from other local schools were invited too, to reflect the inclusive approach of the project and let other students know about the changes coming to Central Park.

Celebration event in Central Park.

Students Requested Food Trucks And Karaoke For The Event

Celebration event in Central Park.

Hotbox Took Part In The Celebration Event, Providing Live Music

Celebration event in Central Park.

The Event Included A Mural Workshop With Brave Arts

Celebration event in Central Park.

The girls and gender diverse young people who took part in the project were selected as members of Boswells’ Be Their Lead programme.

Elli Scott, a teacher at The Boswells School, said she’s proud of the students’ commitment to the project:

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“The students are part of a group we run for year 9s every year, called ‘Be Their Lead’. It’s a group for young people who are female, nonbinary, or transgender, who need a bit of a confidence boost and a little bit of nurturing, but who are also very articulate, very clever individuals. When Kaylie and Spencer [from the council’s Community Safety team] approached us about this project, I knew this group would be perfect for it.

“They’ve had some incredible ideas for Central Park and really got the most out of it. They were even invited to an Essex Police conference, which got their voices heard by an even wider audience. It’s been an amazing opportunity for them and they’ve loved every second of it.”
Elli Scott, The Boswells School