Greenspace & Us: Exploring Co-­design Approaches to Increase Engagement with Nature by Girls and Young Women

 (2) What factors act as obstacles or facilitators in influencing the access, engagement and connection of young women with greenspaces and nature?

 (3) What co-­design and co-­production approaches can be used to create solutions to increase greenspace and nature engagement and use by girls and women in Oxfordshire?

(2) Creative outputs

The design and creation of the creative outputs was supported by the RESOLVE Collective. RESOLVE is a design collective that aims to address social challenges through interdisciplinary approaches combining architecture, engineering, technology and art. They conceptualise ‘design’ as including both physical and systemic interventions that can drive political and socio-­economic changes. Furthermore, one of their guiding principles is to design with and for under-­represented groups, especially young people.

From the outset of Greenspace & Us, RESOLVE Collective introduced the concept of utilising a creative output to articulate the group’s ideas, but they did not impose specific parameters on the format of the output. Sessions 1–3 focused on need finding, followed by sessions 4–6, which involved activities aimed at shaping the narrative surrounding the needs of the young women participants and their role within greenspaces. Participants were supported in drafting a Manifesto to publicly declare their perspectives and intentions, while also exploring their concepts through physical artwork. The group consistently displayed an interest in constructing a tangible structure.

While the creative outputs were regularly discussed throughout the project, substantial progress in their development occurred predominantly during sessions 5 and 6. Decisions were made collaboratively or, when necessary, by vote. Following the conclusion of the sessions, a Celebration Day was organised. This event provided an opportunity for the young women to commemorate their participation and showcase their ideas to family, friends and local stakeholders involved in Greenspace initiatives.

Results

The first three workshops aimed to understand the capability, opportunity and motivation (COM) of the young women participants engaging with greenspaces.

Capability

In the first two workshops it became evident that many participants were unfamiliar with the term ‘greenspace’. Consequently, a considerable amount of time was dedicated to establishing a collective understanding of the diverse range of environments that could fall under the umbrella of ‘greenspace’. The participants eloquently mentioned various natural settings, such as forests/woods, nature reserves, fields/farmland, gardens, lakes/rivers/sea, hills and plains, as well as associated features like trees, plants, flowers, insects, animals, wildlife, fresh air and sunlight. However, despite their comprehensive conceptualisation of greenspace, their lived experiences revealed a more limited picture. During a local greenspace mapping exercise, participants consistently identified, on average, two greenspaces that they frequented regularly – predominantly parks or recreation grounds situated in proximity to their homes or schools. Nature reserves or woodlands, despite their abundant presence in the area, were seldom acknowledged as viable destinations for visits.

Further to this, throughout the project, participants gradually expressed their concerns regarding the equitable distribution of greenspaces, which they perceived as being predominantly dominated by other demographics. This perception was partly influenced by the design of spaces and facilities, which the young women believed catered more to younger children and favoured traditional ‘male’ physical and social activities. Additionally, there was a lack of confidence among these young women to assert their ownership of these spaces.

Opportunities

The maintenance of public greenspaces emerged as an essential area of concern during several workshops. Inadequate upkeep led to unattractive spaces, where dirty environments and equipment, vandalism, mud, litter and dog waste were more likely to be present. Participants consistently advocated for more waste bins to address the issue of litter and dog waste. Furthermore, the participants highlighted that most of the greenspaces lacked facilities that catered to young women’s basic needs, such as access to food and water, clean toilets, seating and shelter. The lack of sufficiently quiet and safe spaces, in which young women could socialise without being ‘bothered’ by boys or young children, also contributed to rendering greenspaces initially as undesirable and inconvenient, ultimately limiting the amount of time young women could comfortably spend in these areas.

These results challenged the traditional narrative and absolute statements that greenspace was good for health and wellbeing. There was, instead, a set of qualifiers linked to the quality, safety and design of greenspaces that had a great impact on the health and wellbeing benefits that could be expected of such spaces, and the opportunities for different demographics to experience the benefits of greenspaces. If, for example, a young woman were to go to a greenspace and experience bullying or be exposed to unsettling incivilities like drug use, it could harm her mental health and wellbeing.

The participants also highlighted that the competing priorities of school, their social life and other activities, as well as the limited availability and high cost of outdoor sports clubs for girls, had a negative impact on opportunities to engage with greenspaces.

Motivation

During the workshops, a widespread sentiment among many participants was a positive recollection of time spent outdoors. They shared anecdotes of beautiful walks with family members and the joy experienced at organised events. In describing greenspace, words such as ‘fun’ ‘free’ and ‘fresh’ were commonly used, reflecting their positive association with the natural environment. Moreover, workshop participants frequently and articulately acknowledged the positive effects of greenspace on mental health. Their fluency in using language related to wellbeing was particularly evident, signifying their awareness of the significant impact that greenspaces and nature could have on promoting mental health and wellbeing.

During the initial workshop discussions, the young women demonstrated a clear understanding of the link between greenspaces and environmental conservation, which was distinct from concerns regarding access. They acknowledged the significance of spaces dedicated to wildlife and nature while also recognising their role in protecting the environment. Furthermore, they displayed awareness of broader environmental issues, such as the use of fossil fuels, plastic pollution, and other forms of environmental degradation. Their perspectives extended beyond personal access to greenspaces, reflecting a broader understanding of the importance of preserving urban greenspaces that serve as habitats for wildlife and contribute to the overall health of nature.

Accounting for the participants’ experiences, perceptions and needs from the previous sessions, it was clear that a reimagining of greenspaces needed to start with an acknowledgement of the roles that greenspaces fulfilled for girls and young women. For the participants, greenspaces served as a place for social activities and play, as opposed to providing a place for formal/informal sport and physical activity. Translation of these insights yielded a set of concrete ideas on the changes required of greenspaces to meet their specific needs so that they can equitably benefit from the health and well-­being benefits that greenspaces can offer.

Specific highlighted needs and preferences included social seating and shelter, amenities (including toilet facilities and bins), security features (such as lighting and cameras), signage, greater consideration of the potential negative impact of designated sports areas on non-­core-­user demographics, more organised active opportunities for girls, and facilitation of the right to play for older girls, not just boys.

As part of the creative workshops, participants deliberated on a ‘strategy’ for presenting the Manifesto and initial design concepts to chosen stakeholders during a celebratory event – the project’s ‘Celebration Day’. Invitations were extended to friends, family, and County and City Councillors, as well as to members of the Public Health Team, Oxford City Greenspace Development Team and Natural England. This strategic outreach ensured that the voices of the young women advocating for more inclusive and fulfilling greenspaces would resonate with influential decision-­makers, fostering a culture of active community engagement and empowerment.

Discussion: Recommendations, Lessons Learned and Next Steps

Principles and Recommendations

The aim of Greenspace & Us was to explore how co-­design approaches could be used to better understand the barriers and enablers influencing engagement with and use of greenspaces by girls and young women. We also wanted to use these insights to co-­design and implement solutions to overcome any barriers and to leverage the facilitators we identified.

The Greenspace & Us project revealed some very interesting, and unexpected, insights into the complexity of collaboration and approaches that can be taken to improve it.

One of the most important factors in our ability to successfully engage with our young collaborators was our partnership with the Name It Youth project. Having worked with local girls and young women in the past, they tend to play a crucial role in project development, recruitment and fostering meaningful relationships. Otherwise, building the level of trust and engagement we achieved would likely not have been possible in the short time-­frames we had for this project.

As we began the process of running our workshops, one of the lessons we learned was the importance of being in agreement on the scope of the project and the definitions of the key terms we would use. In the early stages, we took for granted that everyone would have the same understanding of terms like ‘greenspace’. This led to some confusion, but we addressed this by taking a step back and, with our stakeholders, agreed a definition of greenspace, which was important because this process also revealed further insights that informed our understanding of the capability, opportunity and motivation of the participants to engage with greenspaces. In the future, we will take time to create a glossary of key terms with indicative definitions that we will open up to participants to modify as they feel appropriate. We may also experiment with doing this as a pre-­workshop exercise that could be done virtually, or the glossary could be given as a pre-­read that is then discussed and agreed at the beginning of the workshops.

Our experience in running the workshops also highlighted the benefits of utilising creativity to engage with young people and with public authorities. These creative approaches provided a neutral platform that allowed for the articulation of ideas through different means (e.g. written word, drawing, use of colours) that may not have been possible if there had been a basic focus group approach with just questions and answers that required information to be conveyed only through verbal/written means. Our creative partners skilfully provided a vital medium to enthuse and energise discussions, injecting an element of excitement and joy into the project. By utilising different means of engagement with the girls, young women and other stakeholders over the course of six sessions, we were able to build trust and rapport that allowed for more open and honest discussion, which enabled further collaboration and engagement opportunities.

While navigating the complexity of collaboration, we learned valuable lessons about being led by young people. This process necessitated investing time and resources to align with their pace and terms, which fostered a sense of ownership and empowerment among the youth. At the end of the project, after we had completed the workshops and collected feedback from the girls and young women, they highlighted that they did not always feel like they were being listened to, and although their feedback indicated that they had enjoyed the creative activities, they also mentioned feeling that some of the activities and processes were imposed upon them. This reflects the tension between delivering a research project linked to funding requirements within a relatively short time, and the need to allow time for full co-­production. In retrospect, we recognise the potential benefits of fully co-­producing methods and outputs, a crucial change that could address the challenge of empowering girls and young women without fostering unrealistic expectations of the project’s scope and influence. Although too late to inform the methodology for this project, it is an important learning that we have been able to build into the design of subsequent projects. Empowering young women and involving them in democratic decision-­making processes are crucial steps towards fostering greater community engagement and inclusivity. By encouraging active participation and acknowledging their valuable insights, local authorities can strengthen the bonds between young women and their communities, thus promoting a collaborative approach to creating vibrant and responsive public environments for people and nature.

Using the COM B model allowed the specific insights of the young women to refine and shape our understanding of the various factors influencing their behaviour, resulting in more targeted and effective suggestions for interventions. This approach proved highly flexible as it could be adapted and refined through the workshop process as further insights were identified. It also enabled collaboration between the disciplines, i.e. the arts and public health, and enabled us to bring together diverse expertise and the lived experiences of the young women to better understand and address the barriers and enablers that were identified through the COM-­B model.

Finally, when it came time to implement the solutions, we found that we lacked resources, especially money and time. One of the challenges of co-­design is that one cannot a priori determine what the solution will be. For us, we lacked sufficient funds to design and build the shelter from the original funding we had for the project; however, we were thankfully able to raise the needed funds through financial support from the County Council and donations from local organisations. We also did not account for the time needed to get permission from the City Council to instal a physical structure in a park. We were able to eventually get permission through the City Council, but there was a delay of several months from the conceptualisation of the idea to raising the additional funding, building the shelter and having it installed in the local park in East Oxford. In the future, we would aim to be much more transparent about resource limitations to avoid creating unrealistic expectations that, if not met, could be very demotivating for the collaborators, especially the girls and young women, who invested so much time and energy in these processes.

Next Steps

Despite the constraints of a tight funding schedule, our commitment to seeing girls and young women in East Oxford increase their engagement with and use of greenspaces continues. The ‘Greenspace & Us’ group, with support from the Name It Youth Project, continues to meet and maintain active conversations with the Oxford City Council’s Greenspace Development Team. This sustained dialogue not only empowers girls and young women to offer their views on greenspace developments in the city, but also ensures that their voices resonate in shaping the future of greenspaces and improving equitable access to the benefits that can be derived from connection to nature.

Additionally, we would like to formally evaluate the impact of the shelter. We are interested, in particular, to determine whether girls from East Oxford, those involved in Greenspace & Us and those from the wider East Oxford community:

-­ are using the shelter

-­ what they are using it for

-­ if they are using it for purposes that they did not articulate during our workshops

-­ how frequently they are using it, and

-­ getting a breakdown of the uses based on different demographics.

We would also be interested to know if other groups, apart from girls and young women, have begun to use the shelter. In addition to observing the purposes the shelter fulfils for these groups, we would like to understand the perceptions and attitudes of these users of the shelter, as well as their thoughts on the approach of Greenspace & Us to empowering girls and young women in East Oxford. For example, could other groups feel like they were being excluded because the co-­design and co-­production group consisted only of selected girls/young women, and could the unintended consequences of our approach lead to greater polarisation within the local community?

Acquiring answers to these types of questions could help us better understand the strengths and weaknesses of our collaborative and co-­design approaches. Furthermore, these answers could provide critical insights into the barriers and facilitators of the use of co-­designed and co-­produced solutions.

We are also interested in exploring other co-­designed solutions, such as forest schools or organising group trips to local greenspaces, that adhere to the principles and recommendations above, but may require fewer resources to implement in practice.

The Greenspace & Us project offered a valuable platform for girls and young women to share and contemplate their experiences in accessing greenspaces, while providing public health and other stakeholders with profound insights into the lived reality of this often underserved group. Although centred in East Oxford, many of our findings transcend specific locations and possess broader applicability, especially of the important qualifiers of whether and how greenspaces can deliver health and wellbeing benefits equitably across a population.

Throughout the journey, as participants, facilitators and stakeholders, we collectively identified an array of factors influencing not only behaviour, but also the very essence of young women’s relationship with greenspaces. While some challenges, such as the provision of age-­ and gender-­appropriate play equipment, call for straightforward solutions, others, such as addressing genuine safety concerns and fostering a sense of ownership over public spaces, demand a more nuanced, collaborative and co-­production approach. Resolving these complex issues requires unwavering dedication, bold investment decisions, and a united effort alongside young people to achieve equitable access to greenspaces and public areas.

While this initiative was born from public health endeavours, its implications extend beyond the confines of a single sector. Action to dismantle barriers and enhance greenspace accessibility necessitates a shared vision and partnership among planning authorities, greenspace management teams, educational institutions, social work agencies, youth organisations, environmental sector entities, public health, and the broader society. Rather than providing definitive answers, the insights garnered from Greenspace & Us have lain the groundwork for deeper conversations tailored to specific sub-­groups of the population, locations and spaces. They also serve as a powerful advocacy tool, advocating for an approach that fosters equity and inclusivity, one that is directly shaped by the voices of those who are often the most underrepresented and who have the most to gain.

Our collaborative journey reflects the intricacies of meaningful engagement and the impact of our collective endeavours extends beyond the project’s scope, leaving an enduring legacy of empowered youth shaping the built and green environments of their community, and continuing to produce further projects.

Acknowledgements

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our participants and partners for their invaluable contributions and unwavering support. Without them, the realisation of this project would have remained beyond reach. Their commitment has invigorated our pursuit of a greener, more inclusive community for all. We would particularly like to thank:

• All the survey respondents and workshop participants, without whom the project would not have been possible

• Art and design collaborators, CommonBooks, Lisa Curtis and Toffee Hammer Carpentry

• Oxfordshire County Council’s Engagement Team

• Oxford City Council’s Green Space Development Team

• Active Oxfordshire.

References