Teenagers in Public Parks

[farrowandballs]

I've recently become Chair of the village playground committee and I am wondering if there's something we can provide for teenagers so that they feel welcome to hang out in the park in the evenings. So I thought firstly, I need to find out if this is something that parents of teenagers would welcome? Is this something teenagers themselves would welcome? And if so, what sort of thing would they want? I intend to put recycling bins in first and foremost (so empty strongbow cans can be safely deposited ;))

There is a lot of (IMO misplaced) anxiety about the very sight of teenagers in public space. They are always assumed to be causing trouble, and, 'round here particularly, are constantly moaned about in the local newsletter. I thought if a space was provided it might free up the bus shelters ;) and/or get them off their xboxes, but I'm not sure if I'm just being incredibly naive, romantic and amnesiac!

I will of course do a proper consultation with the parents and teens of the village but I just thought I'd consult the MN oracle in the first instance and I'd welcome any thoughts from you all.

One of my local parks has a covered shelter with benches in, a bit like a circluar bus shelter, a skate park and a basket ball court. It is fab and always full of teens playing and chatting. Note I said playing, not causing any trouble to anybody just getting on with doing what they do.

It is a lovely park with great facilities for all ages but the teens bit does stand out. I wish we lived in walking distance.

Our local park has a covered shelter and a skate park

The tennis courts are also popular with the teens.

Our local park has a shelter for teens - it got smashed up :(

I do think they are a fab idea though.

Ours has a five a side football court and basket ball court (all in one) its always busy.

I love the idea of the covered shelter for sitting and smoking chatting. I feel sorry for teens thay have fuck all to do bless their holey socks.

So you think a shelter would be ok? Our is a smallish park but has loads of fantastic equipment but not much space. I'm hoping to raise enough to get a climbing boulder like this, which I thought would appeal to teens as well as kids but yeah maybe a shelter with benches is the way forward. Thank you!

we do have a basketball area but I never see anyone on it. Maybe the first thing needs to be to promote the idea of the park as a space in which teens are actually WELCOME. hmmmm....

Skate park, shelter. Indestructible.

Just thought as well, the shelter might be an easy win with the parents because I often sit while DS plays through a heavy rain shower that I know will pass soon, as do many others. It'd be a lot more pleasant to sit under cover reading graffiti while waiting for the clouds to blow over...

How lovely I opened this thread ready for a fight, because you get so many people - as people have said - moaning about teens being in parks. Yet, as TeamEdward said, they are just little boys in bigger bodies.
Definitely yes to swings
Yes to basketball court / 5-a-side pitch / tennis courts. As you say space is limited, then even if they are the same space, it would be good if there are some baskets there and some goals for them.

Oh what a good thread! :)

There is a lot of evidence that it's a good idea to involve young people (YP) themselves, rather than allowing adults to guess what's best! :) You get better, more imaginative design - and things they actually want and will use. New equipment is much less likely to be vandalised, too, if YP are involved in designing it, and ideally even installing it/painting it/ etc.

You may be able to get help from your local youth service (if there is still any of it left :( ) - a youth worker who'll help to engage young people. The community police, schools and other local groups that work with YP will also probably be keen to help.

Participation Works is a not-for-profit organisation whose aim is to involve children and young people in all kinds of planning and decision-making. Their factsheet on developing play-spaces is here

There's a toolkit for involving young people in parks here... The funding info might be out of date, but the advice isn't :)

And there's a longish paper about involving YP in designing public spaces - with guidance and lots of case studies - here

There was also a biggish project/scheme in 2011, called Spaceshaper 9-14. Info here and <a class="break-all" href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110118095356/www.cabe.org.uk/public-space/spaceshaper-9-14" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here

Good luck!

We have skate park and shelter it's great. Before they were built teens sat on the swings and got in the way of the younger DCs.

Oh and large climbing equipment for 9-12+ yearolds they don't always want to sit about chatting.

If they've been dragged along with younger siblings they not have anyone to chat to.

Thank you so much. flow4 thanks so much for those links, really really interesting. It's fantastic to hear so much positivity about the idea of encouraging teens into parks. I hope we have the same enthusiasm in the village!

Can I please just add a note of caution - are there houses near/surrounding your local park? If so, they may not be so keen on the idea of large numbers of teens in the park at night. We have a real issue with teenagers drinking in the local park and then causing damage to cars when leaving eg smashing wing mirrors etc.

I have teenage children of my own and there is no way I would want them hanging around in the park at night.

I don't think anyone's talking about 'at night' Fluffy. Weekends, holidays, afterschool, evenings - there are lots of hours surely everyone should be entitled to enjoy the community leisure facilities.

I understand where you're coming from fluffy. There are houses near to the park but the park closes at 8pm. The park is currently populated almost exclusively by under 10s and their parents, and empty by 5pm.

There are no youth clubs 'round here, there's no cinema, bowling, ice rink or anything like that. There are no sports clubs, dance classes or even Scouts or Guides in the village. It's a very rural area with no public transport after 5pm. I know teenagers from all parts of the country complain that there is 'nothing to do', but here it really is the case!

Encouraging teens to feel welcome in the park and see the park as a space to go and see friends and socialise and hang out won't solve all the problems but it might save the local parents a bit on petrol and/or drag the young people away from their screens for a few hours a week at the very least.

I asked DD(aged 16). She agrees with the idea of covered shelter with seats. There is also a basketball court which is full now that they are on study leave.

If you didnt have the money for a whole basketball court even a smaller court with a single hoop would be a good substitute.

large play equipment sounds awesome, one thing me and my friends use to do was play on the kids equipment coz there was nothing else i grew up in a rural village and there was a park a bench but then lots of fields we used to annoy the farmer by mucking about around there.

covered shelters are always a hit, i know the skatepark that was recently built was a huge hit, only problem was it brought teens from elsewhere and there started being dealers around but only in the evening when there was no kids and the skate parks further away from the kiddie bit.

basketball hoops are good but generally thats more younger teens that use that 14+ tend to stop using it as far as i know but get the teens involved and you'll know what they'll want, teens are changing all the time, what we found fun 5 years ago may be deemed 'lame' now... like going into our little den bits and having bonfires... that was our idea of fun :)