Transcript Children and Regeneration: Unheard Voices?

Having Our Say: Children’s Voices
in Housing Estate Regeneration
Dr Cathal O’Connell, PI
Dr Siobhan O’Sullivan, Researcher
Dr Lorcan Byrne, Research Assistant
School of Applied Social Studies, UCC
Children and Estate Regeneration
1. What are the views of children and young
people on the regeneration of their estate?
2. Are they heard?
3. What are the implications for policy and
practice?
Research Approach
Children’s Rights:
• Informed by children’s rights discourse & UNCRC Article 12: Children
have the right to express their views on matters affecting them.
• Importance of children’s voice, agency and participation in everyday
life especially relating to their lived and built environment.
Regeneration:
• ‘a comprehensive and integrated vision and action which leads to the
resolution of urban problems and which seeks to bring about a lasting
improvement in the economic, physical, social and environmental
condition of an area that has been subject to change’
(Robert and Sykes, 2000: 18).
Children and Regeneration:
• Housing estate regeneration can affect children’s lives in terms of their
living conditions and environmental surroundings, and their sense of
safety, belonging, place, identity and community.
• However, children’s voices are seldom heard in regeneration
programmes in Ireland.
Case Study of Knocknaheeny estate, Cork City
•
Largest social housing estate in Cork City
located three miles northwest of city centre.
•
60% of households rent from the local
authority
•
High proportion of children and young
people: 41.6% of the population under 25
years.
•
Area characterised by low income
households, long term unemployment and
welfare as primary source of household
income, high levels of lone parenthood,
lower levels of educational attainment
compared to city and lower rate of tenant
purchase.
•
Estate built mid-1970s, evidence of
deteriorating build quality and urban design.
•
Subject to major Cork City Council
Regeneration Programme 2012-2022.
Cork City Centre
Research Issues
• Legitimacy :
– Challenge faced was to establish legitimacy of the research.
– Building relationships was a time consuming and sensitive process.
– Degree of research fatigue in the community.
• ‘Gatekeepers’ and access:
– Key actors such as youth workers, training centre managers, school
teachers and principals facilitated access to the children and young
people.
– Some groups were not accessed, such as Traveller children living in the
area. (
• Research / data gathering process:
– Key workers present because of their familiarity with the young
people. This enhanced the responses from the participants.
Methodology
• Followed best practice re: informed
consent, police vetting of research team,
recording and anonymity of participants
• Multiple methods to ascertain children
and young people views and experiences
of regeneration.
• Range of qualitative and creative
methodologies:
– focus group activities and discussions,
– rap,
– photography and art.
• Ten focus groups involving 78 children
and young people aged 6-19 years, held
over the Spring and Summer of 2013.
Focus Group
Activity:
THE WHEEL
(Devised by Siobhan O’Sullivan)
PHOTOVOICE
RAP
• Local rap artist GMC
commissioned to work with two
groups to compose and record
their regeneration raps.
• Used the Wheel activity to
generate ideas.
• Work-shopped over 3 days in
studio from ideas to lyrics.
• Intensive, creative and
performative process.
•
https://soundcloud.com/gmcworkshops/sets/k
nocknaheeny-regeneration-ucc
The creation of this regeneration is making
A new Knocka nation. We’re patiently waiting
For the restoration of our community
We can change what others have to say and have to see.
But what do ya see when you look at me
A young teen or a feen from Knocknaheeny?
Our place it’s known as a disgrace
People haven’t took the time to see our real face.
As youths we need to be seen and heard
Our questions we need to be answered and not ignored.
So what you gonna to improve Knocknaheeny?
Have you a magic wand or are you just a genie
We’re the future of Cork, the new generation
Our voices lost in the talk of regeneration.
We wanna be heard and we wanna be known
As the children who made a difference on our home.
Listen to what we have to say
We’re the future we’re here to stay.
So deal with it,
Just deal with it.
We know that there’s issues that need to be dealt with.
But your masterplan never asked us SHHHH!
It doesn’t matter though about what we think.
Why’s it always the youth are the missing link?
Findings
Awareness of regeneration
• Mixed levels of awareness among
children and young people of the
regeneration programme.
• Existing knowledge based on family,
friends, visual impact.
• No direct communication between
local authority and young people
nor on-going communication with
schools, projects, clubs etc.
• Resident information sessions
directed at adults (presentation of
final masterplan no involvement at
design stage).
Findings
Impacts of regeneration
Positive:
• visual improvement and renewal of the area
• quieter neighbourhoods for some who have
been relocated
• bigger and better quality housing and
facilities
Negative:
• noise and disruption from the demolition
and building works
• losing their homes due to demolition,
• relocation of families and friends to
addresses outside of the estate,
• impact on their social networks, friendships,
and family connections.
Findings
What Children and Young People Want from Regeneration
• Enhancing community and personal safety through:
– more effective community policing and housing management,
addressing problems such as:
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•
•
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anti-social behaviour and disruptive tenants,
public drinking,
drug dealing,
violence and intimidation.
Improving existing amenities and the local environment through:
–
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new and better quality houses,
providing effective refuse collection and litter removal,
maintaining green areas and open spaces,
improving recreation, sports and leisure amenities,
considering the impact on young people when lanes are closed in response to
resident petitions,
– managing through-traffic and road safety,
– providing new amenities to reflect their current interests,
– improving bus services to the area and connectivity with the wider city.
•
Providing educational and employment opportunities through:
– training, apprenticeships and employment in the regeneration
programme,
– promoting commercial and retail investment in the local economy.
Findings
Children and Young People’s Involvement in
Regeneration
• Children and young people want to be viewed
in a positive rather than negative manner by
the community and service providers.
• All of the participants want to be involved in the
decision-making around regeneration.
• The older groups are more cynical about having
an influence and are critical of the omission of
children and young people’s voices.
• They would like information in age appropriate
format, meetings with officials and planners,
and regular updates specifically for children and
young people.
Recommendations
•
Cork City Council has committed to adopting consultation methods developed in
this research in the implementation of the regeneration masterplan
•
Government Regeneration Funding and Guidelines:
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Estate Management:
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In advance of applying for regeneration funding to central government, local authorities and
social landlords should be obliged to establish young person consultative panels.
Government guidelines on regeneration should include an explicit requirement for local
authorities to include children and young people in the implementation stage of regeneration
programmes.
Tenant consultation and involvement mechanisms should be broadened to include children and
young people.
Capacity Building:
•
•
Develop a toolkit for local authorities, social landlords and service providers, to form an
element of a wider education/training programme regarding children and young people’s rights
and involvement in public administration.
Information should be developed in an appropriate form for dissemination to children and
young people in consultation with schools, youth groups, youth workers and others who work
with young people.
Final Conclusions
• In a major area of social housing policy in Ireland, the voices of
children and young people largely go unheard.
• This is not because they have no voice or do not have opinions but is
because effective consultation and participation mechanisms have
not been devised in this key area of Irish policy.
• Not hearing and acting on their views potentially renders
regeneration incomplete and ineffective.
• Children and young people have an irrefutable right to express their
views freely in all matters affecting them as stated in the UNCRC.
• This right must infuse all aspects of state activity, public
administration and social policy in Ireland from central to local levels.