the Help Files....

While few teenagers would describe what they do as play,
they need the time, space and freedom associated with play for younger age groups
Getting Serious About Play - Department for Culture Media & Sport

Getting Serious About Play

The Cathedral Gardens Project acts to support the positive social space which young people have spontaneously created. This space can be considered 'Play Space' (also called 'Slack Space' by CABE) by the definition offered in Getting Serious About Play.

Any effort to improve children’s play opportunities must recognise as a fact of life
that most play does not take place on sites formally designated as play spaces.
Getting Serious About Play - Department for Culture Media & Sport

There are crucial points to consider with regard to the spontaeous use of space for informal and social activities by teenagers. On the one hand: "Play facilities which offer no challenges will not contribute much to a child’s development. Worse still, they can become so boring that children seek excitement elsewhere often at much greater danger to themselves and other people". On the other hand, positive action to engage young people as legitimate users of the space can lead to personal development opportunities for them, and increased social cohesion for the whole community: "Involving children and young people in the policy-making process promotes more mature and responsible behaviour, which can enhance their contribution on other neighbourhood-wide issues."

In order to achieve these outcomes, we incorporate the seven objectives outlined in Best Play when planning provision for this group.

• provision extends the choice and control that young people have over their play, the freedom they enjoy and the satisfaction they gain from it.
• provision recognises the young people's need to test boundaries and responds positively to that need.
• provision manages the balance between the need to offer risk and the need to keep young people safe from harm.
• provision maximises the range of play opportunities.
• provision fosters independence and self-esteem.
• provision fosters young people's respect for others and offers opportunities for social interaction.
• provision fosters the young people's well-being, healthy growth and development, knowledge and understanding, creativity and capacity to learn.

We believe that a positive balance can be struck between teenagers' need for independence and their emergence as young adults with a stake in society. Key to this is the ability to negotiate solutions to conflicts or competition with other users of our city's limited public space. This cannot happen unless stakeholders involve young people, and the Cathedral Gardens Project offers a proven conduit for doing this. We have a range of levels at which we can help partners to consult or engage these young people and we would always ask them to avail of this at the earliest possible stage in their plans.