Including all sections of the community
Only the involvement of people from different
backgrounds: social, religious and cultural, will ensure your
project meets the diverse needs of the children and young people in
your community.
However, there may be groups of children, young people and
families who use local provision less than others, or tend not to
get involved in consultation exercises or participation projects.
Perhaps local play providers do not know them personally, or maybe
their cultural norms or religious beliefs make it more difficult
for them to get involved in the ways suggested.
Whatever the reason, it will help your project to
succeed if you identify people and groups who may feel excluded
from supporting or developing local play provision.
Think about what action you can take to enable them to overcome
the barriers that may be preventing them from becoming
involved.
Some of the more common barriers can be:
- A lack of information about local play provision or awareness
about how to get involved, or this information is not provided in
different languages, including Braille or in audio.
- Those working in the play provision lacking confidence or
feeling unskilled to work with certain groups, such as disabled
children, young people and their families.
- Your group getting stuck in a routine – you will want to build
on your experience but doing things in the same way, all the time
may exclude other people who may feel more comfortable using
different methods.
- Looked after children and children who feel vulnerable – where
children are moved around between homes or have suffered stressful
experiences, are at risk of losing friendships and the experience
to play (for example: children in care, in hospital, or young
carers, etc.).
- Discrimination and prejudice – assumptions being made about
people and groups within the community or attitudes that
deliberately exclude some people and groups.
Some disabled children and young people, or those from black and
minority ethnic groups can experience overt and implicit
discrimination. Their enjoyment of public space, including play
areas, may have involved very negative associations, and so they
may need extra encouragement to take part.
To be successful in overcoming barriers to play, organisations
and community groups need to be committed to identifying them
before they can be addressed and be proactive in seeking out and
engaging new people and under-represented groups.
Participation Works provides a range of briefings about creative
methods of participation, how to involve hard-to-reach groups and
children and young people from different faiths and cultures.
The disabled children’s charity KIDS, provides briefings and
information on how to include disabled children and adults in your
project.
Back to top
Tools and information
Equal in Play? Research by Haki Kapasi produced for London Play giving examples of both barriers to and good practice in accessing play for ethnic minority communities.
Every BME Child Matters The Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG) produced this guide to help community projects working with children and young people to influence how local services for children are developed and delivered. It includes information about the role of black and minority ethnic (BME) groups and contact details of regional networks.
Playing in Parallel A London Play guide to improving the quality of, and access to, play provision in London for black and ethnic minority children.
Back to top
Organisations
Black Environment Network (BEN) BEN is established to promote equality of opportunity in respect to ethnic communities in the preservation protection and development of the environment.
Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG) BTEG is a national organisation providing a voice to government for black and minority ethnic service providers. It also provides technical support for voluntary and community organisations and public bodies.
KIDS KIDS provide information and advice on inclusion in play and childcare.