Young People, Participation and Public Space

1
Young People, Participation and Public Space

• Presentation to Youth in Local Government
  Conference, Childrens Issues Centre, University
  of Otago, July 2004.

2
Overall PhD Research Aim

• To identify and provide a model of the connection
  between young people, public space and
  citizenship through an interrogation of T.H.
  Marshalls (1950) theory of social citizenship,
  an extensive review of literature and action
  research.
• Study Title Young People, Public Space
  Citizenship

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Setting the scene.

• Young people are major users of public space,
  White (1990,1998) Loader (1996).
• Young people are constructed as problem and
  non citizens, Brown (1998).
• Young people report feeling unconsulted, not
  part of community life, Measor Squires (2000),
  Article 12 (2000), Tyler et al (1998).
• Young people and citizenship/participation is a
  major issue.
• Public Space issues affect others also such as
  the homeless, aged, women, Indigenous people and
  people of middle eastern appearance.

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Key Research Objectives

• Identify and establish the conceptual
  relationship between young people, public space
  and social citizenship.
• Investigate social citizenship/participation as
  it relates to young people.
• Develop a theoretical model of young peoples
  social citizenship which locates rights to public
  space within an expansive concept of social
  citizenship/participation.

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Outline of Research Method, Methodology and
Approach

• Place young people aged 14-25 at the centre of
  the action research process, using a modified
  Grounded Theory approach.
• Work with small groups to develop the survey
  instrument and map concepts of lived experience
  of public space and community participation.
• Reflect on and evaluate outcomes of each stage in
  research process, taking findings into the next
  stage.
• Conduct questionnaire with young people in
  Brisbane, Logan and Dunedin.
• Conduct data analysis, feedback findings to
  interested participants.

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Stages in the action research process
One Conduct semi-structured conversations with young people. Two Conduct focus group work with young people, using mental/physical mapping to raise public space issues. Draft pilot questionnaire. Three Test pilot questionnaire with young people of the Dunedin Youth Forum, reflect on and evaluate with respondents review and finalise survey instrument with Logan City Youth Council
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Stages in the action research process
Four Conduct full questionnaire with various groups of young people in educational settings in Brisbane and Logan areas, to include state private high schools. Five Conduct grounded theory data analysis and interpretation for PhD thesis chapter content. Six Discuss data results and give feedback to participant young people as, and if, required.
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Theoretical Framework

• A selection of critical material drawn from the
  following bodies of theory informs the work and
  contributes to the theoretical and methodological
  framework of the study
• Citizenship/Participation Theory
• Public Space Theory
• Theories of Youth
• Grounded Theory

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Theoretical Framework Citizenship/Participation
Theory

• Civil, political and social citizenship.
• Social citizenship/social rights.
• Social exclusion/inclusion.
• Citizenships of difference/marginality.
• Citizenship education for active citizenship.
• Communitarian citizenship-participation.
• Multiple citizenships.
• Human rights.
• Liberal citizenship-rights duties.
• Radical citizenship-citizenship democracy.
• Governance.

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Theoretical FrameworkPublic Space Theory

• Urban design ideology/priorities/trends.
• Contested space.
• Spatial politics.
• Consumption space.
• Public/private space.
• Surveillance.
• Curfews and other control measures.
• Gated/walled communities.

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Theoretical FrameworkTheories of Youth

• Constructions of youth.
• Youth as hope of the nation, vulnerable, threat.
• Lifestyles.
• Life-course patterns/transitions.
• Youth identity/identities.
• Social Participation.
• Child youth rights.
• Gender issues.
• Race issues.
• Social inclusion/exclusion.

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Theoretical Framework Research
MethodologyGrounded Theory

• An approach to the collection, analysis and
  ordering of research data where new theory
  emerges from the data, rather than from
  literature.
• This is preferable within the overall aims of
  action research, to a situation where
  pre-existing theory shapes and directs the data
  and the results of the research effort.
• The Grounded Theory approach starts with Glaser
  Strauss (1967), then there is Strauss Corbin
  (1990) and Glaser (1992).
• This approach allows research data to reflect and
  illuminate the full weight of the lived
  experience of the young people at the centre of
  the research process, which might otherwise not
  happen.
• The research method is a self-completion survey
  instrument or questionnaire, to collect data from
  the 1200 participant young people aged 14-25,
  from state private high schools, QUT, community
  groups and Queensland Police Service recruits.

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The survey- questions 1-5

• 1. As a young person do you feel that you are
  negatively stereotyped by people in the wider
  community?
• 2. Do you think there are enough youth facilities
  in your area?
• 3. How involved do you feel in your local
  community life?
• 4. Are you happy with the way your
  school/university/TAFE involves you in the
  community?
• 5. Looking at things from your perspective, would
  you say that the wider community where you live
  is aware of or concerned with the issue of
  safety?

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The survey- questions- 6 to 12

• 6. What does the word Citizenship mean to you?
• 7. Are there public places such as malls,
  streets, parks and other places in your local
  area that you avoid due to safety issues?
• 8. Is your school/university/TAFE a place you
  think of as safe?
• 9. Do security cameras make you feel safe in
  using public places?
• 10. Should there be more security cameras in your
  local area?
• 11. What would make your use of public places
  more enjoyable?
• 12. What would make your use of public places
  safer?

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The survey- questions- 13-15

• 13. Do you think using public space raises
  issues for the following?
• - people with a disability
• - people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual,
• transgender
• - people from Indigenous backgrounds
• - people from ethnic minority backgrounds
• - any other people?
• 14. Do you consider yourself to be any/some/all
  of the above? If so, please say here if you
  wish
• 15. Please give your gender Male..
  Female.
• 16. Please give your age
• 17. Anything else you want to say?

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Early findings-what 400 Brisbane state high
school students said

• 1. As a young person do you feel that you are
  negatively stereotyped by people in the wider
  community? NO78 YES322
• 2. Do you think there are enough youth facilities
  in your area? YES86 NO314
• 3. How involved do you feel in your local
  community life? YES57 (some feeling of
  involvement) NO343 (no or little feeling of
  involvement).
• 4. Are you happy with the way your
  school/university/TAFE involves you in the
  community? YES167 NO233
• 5. Looking at things from your perspective, would
  you say that the wider community where you live
  is aware of or concerned with the issue of
  safety? YES120 NO280

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More early findings 400 said

• 7. Are there public places such as malls,
  streets, parks and other places in your local
  area that you avoid due to safety issues?
• YES179 NO154
• 8. Is your school/university,
• TAFE a place you think of as safe?
• YES209 NO118

• 9. Do security cameras make you feel safe in
  using public places?
• YES95 NO221
• 10. Should there be more security cameras in your
  local area?
• YES183 NO120

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References for this presentation

• Article 12 (2000) Curfews and Crime-what young
  people think. Edinburgh Save The Children Fund
  Scotland.
• Brown, S. (1998) Understanding youth and
  crime-Listening to youth? OPUS.
• Loader, I. (1996) Youth, Policing and Democracy.
  London Macmillan.
• Measor, L. Squires, P. (2000) Young people and
  community safety inclusion, risk, tolerance and
  disorder. Aldershot Ashgate.
• Marshall, T.H. (1950) Citizenship and Social
  Class. London Pluto.

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References continued

• Tyler, B., Jablonka, J. and Flick, M. (1998)
  Making Space. A Report to the Darwin City Council
  on Young People, Anti-Social Behaviour and
  Community Response. Darwin Centre for Social
  Research Northern Territory University.
• White, R. (1990) No Space of Their Own-Young
  People and Social Control in Australia.
  Melbourne Cambridge University Press.
• White, R. (1998) Hanging out negotiating young
  peoples use of public space. Barton ACT N.C.P.
  Attorney Generals Department.
• www.yspace.net

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Overview of Workshop

• Setting the scene.
• Key research objectives.
• Research methods/process.
• Theoretical framework.
• References for this presentation.

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More early findings..

• 17. Anything else you want to say?