Self Advocacy and Young People
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Self Advocacy and young People - Lower Shankill Children play for their rights!
Since 2009 PlayBoard has been working in partnership with the Practice and Participation of Rights Project (PPRP) with a group of children and young people in the Lower Shankill area of North Belfast.
The group, who are members of the Lower Shankill Residents Voice (LSRV), is made up of children, young people, parents and residents from the local area. Aged between 6 and 14 years old, they meet weekly in the Denmark Street Community Centre. PlayBoard’s role is to support the children and young people to participate actively in the workings of the group.
Since the group’s inception in 2008, the children and young people have been exploring and developing an understanding of their ‘right to have a say and to play’ and to having their rights met. As one of the group members explained:
“When we came together, the first thing we did was talk about what the main problems were in our area. One that kept coming up was play. We talked about the problems there were for kids who wanted to play out in the streets or in the local playgrounds. Mainly these were small things – things like broken glass, broken lights, and traffic. We had tried to do something about them before but nothing had changed.”
The group initially learned about their human right to play and how the Government and those in power have a duty to ensure that this right is fulfilled and protected.
The LSRV group, continue to identify multiple issues and problems which are important to them - most recently they have focussed on the right of children and parents to participate in decisions related to play.
PlayBoard’s Play Development Officer, Eamonn Keenan works with the children and young people involved. A recent development has been the ‘transformation’ of local parks – where the children and young people bring equipment to extend their play opportunities. In doing this it is anticipated that the children and young people will evidence their ability to creatively utilise play spaces, and to campaign for participation in any new play facility or changes to existing ones. PPRP plan to focus on developing indicators that relate to the child right to play.
For more information on this project contact Eamonn Keenan at PlayBoard.
