Practical Child Friendly Recommendations for Communities

Hopefully, in following these blogs, you are beginning to see the pattern: 1) the world agrees on principles for promoting child health and well-being, stressing the importance of including children's voices in community planning and service delivery; 2) children and youth have a unique and valuable perspective to add to the discussions; 3) researchers are finding that how we design our communities and the services we provide can have an impact on the physical, social and emotional health of our children; and 4) kids are capable of evaluating those communities--using some really innovative methods. I threw in the community service and learning tips for schools and the story of a youth making a difference with community service to shake things up a bit, but trust me, they are part of the bigger picture.

 I have a practical streak and always want to know not only why but how to get things done. A publication by Tim Gill (2008) from the journal of Children & Society provided some very practical recommendations that communities can do to help children. Gill explores how the United Kingdom (shouldn't that be Queendom? but I digress) is addressing child health. He talks about the shrinking world of childhood, where children are driven everywhere, there are less green spaces to play, parents' don't think kids should go out with their friends unsupervised until age 14, kids spend more time in child care/planned activities because of their parents' long work hours and then occupy themselves with greater television viewing or playing electronic games. The ramifications of this life style have resulted higher rates of childhood obesity, a rise in adolescent conduct disorders and a greater inability to cope in new situations.

Gill recommends that society take a space-oriented approach to addressing these problems. This includes a general approach that proactively supports all children (versus targeted at specific groups of children); encourages child engagement in their schools and communities; and supports children's ability to learn through experience—in other words, the development of child-friendly communities. Here are his very practical recommendations:

• A strong emphasis on creating easy access to welcoming, accessible parks, squares and public spaces.
• Encouraging child modes of transportation- walking, cycling and public transport.
• Greater access to school grounds and child institutions afterschool.
• Strong support for voluntary and community activities that give children more autonomy and responsibility and bring children and adults together.
• A more sympathetic and balanced approach when responding to the inevitable conflicts and minor skirmishes that surround children (directed at the police, teachers, professionals).
• A resilient approach to risk that balances protection and freedom.
• A shared, communal responsibility for children's wellbeing—realizing that we are all responsible for all children.

Gill concludes that "Providing better opportunities for children to play in green outdoor spaces near their homes can help them to grow up more mindful of their impact on the planet (Bixler and others, 2002). Allowing and encouraging children to experience frequent, casual, loosely supervised contact with neighbours and relative strangers can foster their sense of respect for their neighborhood and the people in it (Living Spaces, 2006). Welcoming children as of right into the community makes them visible participants in community life, which will contribute to their well-being as well as that of the community they live in" (pp. 140-141).

Wise words indeed (imagine an English accent here).

Reference: Gill, T. (2008). Space-oriented children's policy: creating child-friendly communities to improve children's well-being. Children & Society, 22, 136-142.