On June 9, Forum for Social Innovation Sweden collaboration with Danfo and Sopact, hosted a webinar on the topic“How do we create safe public spaces for and with children and young people?”, which was attended by over 150 people. For those who would like to continue the discussion, we have created a LinkedIn group that you are welcome to join. Below is a summary of the key points highlighted as important to carry forward in the work to create safe public environments both for and with children and young people.
Unequal and discriminatory workplaces pose a challenge to safety efforts
The perceived sense of safety is influenced by who uses a space: if a space is child-friendly, it often attracts children and reassuring adults, which in turn makes it feel welcoming to girls and older adults as well. Conversely, certain places can be “taken over” by specific groups and feel exclusionary to others— so how do we create places that are welcoming to multiple groups, and perhaps above all to those who occupy little or no space in public spaces?
One approach involves pop-up activities that alter the conditions under which a space is used, which in turn influences who wants to use that space. The City of Helsingborg has employed this approach and recognizes that, while it does not solve the problem of unequal and inequitable spaces, it is a step in the right direction. They want to continue working to address this challenge and are therefore collaborating with Tengbom Arkitekter, RISE, and RWI on a Vinnova-funded project to develop Jämt Jämlikt: a certification for equitable spaces.
Participation is an integral part of preventive safety efforts
Maj Pettersson, a national expert at Fryshuset, has developed a three-step model for youth participation. The first stepinvolves outreach and separate initiatives to build relationships; the second step involves organizing meetings between different groups of young people where tools for change are provided; and in the third step, platforms for participation are offered. This process is a good approach to incorporate into one’s work so that children and young people can participate in everything from needs assessments to the implementation of safety measures.
Reach all children and young people through partnerships
In order to include even those children and young people who do not feel part of society—and who have little or no presence in the public sphere—the responsibility for creating safer spaces must be shared among multiple stakeholders. Both various public sector agencies and actors across different sectors of society are needed to break down silos and establish new partnerships. Examples of these partnerships include Idea-Driven Public Partnerships (IOP), socially responsible procurement where requirements for children’s participation can be set, and collaboration between housing companies and civil society, as well as between public sector entities and social innovators. Through partnerships, stakeholders can develop new working methods—innovation processes—and to achieve this, an intermediary such as Sopact can be a key piece of the puzzle.
Patrick Amofah, a sustainability specialist from the Swedish Public Procurement Agency, highlighted public procurement, noting that it offers significant potential as a strategic tool for social change (accounting for 17% of Sweden’s GDP), while also encompassing many different types of procurement aimed at creating safer public environments. These range from procurers being able to set social requirements in their procurement—such as employment—to using “functional procurement,” which means that what is to be delivered is a specific outcome (“safe schools”) rather than a product, to conducting reserved procurements in which only social enterprises and civil society organizations are allowed to participate. To say the least, this is an important tool in the public sector’s ability to collaborate with other sectors of society, where support can be provided by the Swedish Public Procurement Agency.
We are a real estate company with extensive expertise in the field, and we have a large number of residents, but we rely heavily on collaborating with many other parties… because they are experts in their respective fields.
– Nurgül Iljas Eminovska, Head of Social Projects, MKB Fastighets AB
Furthermore, partnerships between different stakeholders are important, as these stakeholders engage with children and young people at different stages of the aforementioned three-step process: publicly or non-profit-run youth centers provide safe meeting places, while politicians meet with young people in youth councils to enable them to influence policy decisions. Without a common thread connecting these actors (and others) who engage with children and youth in these different areas, society has not succeeded in enabling true participation for children and youth.
Since our products are located in public spaces and our employees are out and about in the city every day, our operations are greatly influenced by the broader social landscape. Our operations need to evolve as society changes.
– Jonas Olsson, Group President and CEO of Danfo AB.
Tommy Borglund, a senior lecturer at Örebro University, has conducted a study focusing on partnerships for sustainable social development. He emphasizes that, just as children and young people need to be involved in the needs assessment for safety initiatives, stakeholders who are to collaborate with one another must also ensure they reach a common understanding of the starting point and objectives. It is important to remember that businesses possess a vast pool of resources, and many are eager to take on social responsibility. It is also important to carefully consider what should be measured, which is crucial for ensuring the quality of the work but also for moving away from short-term projects and instead adopting a long-term approach. To view and read Tommy Borglund’s full report, click here.
“If all you have in your toolbox is a hammer, everything looks like a nail”
In the research conducted by Jenny Stenberg, a research associate at Chalmers ACE, it has become clear that it is important to involve children in designing interventions, building on their prior participation in the needs assessment. Only then is it possible to address the wide range of safety concerns that exist. Otherwise, those of us working on these issues risk implementing measures that miss the mark.
This was also highlighted by Maria Frisk, the head of Save the Children Sweden:
The involvement and voices of children and young people are crucial in helping us adults understand that our experiences of public spaces can differ quite significantly from those of children and young people.
Webinar recording
Watch the full webinar here!
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Forum for Social Innovation Sweden collaboration with Danfo AB and Sopact at the School of Social Work, Lund University.
