Day 2 – May 31st

With all the rich material from the presentations in the previous day, Day 2 was a day to reflect on these findings. The first half was an interactive City Game organized by Fields of View, where everyone builds a city together. Participants were divided into twos or threes, and were each given post-its, a pen, and some coloured tape. Then, each group would write something they want to build, such as a national park, and place the post-it wherever they wanted on the classroom floor. Alternatively, they could also use tape to indicate for example, a river they wished to build, and how it would flow in the city. Each group took turns to add something to the city, and in total, we went through 3 rounds to build a city collectively. There were not many residential buildings. This was followed by a debriefing session, where we all sat on the floor around this city and discussed our thoughts about it. Was it inclusive? Was it a city that we would want to live in? Why or why not?

The opinions were mixed. It was a city with many parks and green spaces, as well as food farms, schools , metro lines, and a government building, to name a few. Some people appreciated the availability of green spaces and amenities, whilst others felt this would be an expensive, un-inclusive retirement city as it was unclear what sustained the economy to allow the city to function. The City Game was a thought-provoking exercise. Each group added facilities they thought were inclusive, or which they didn’t have in their city such as green spaces and parks. Yet when all these supposedly inclusive amenities were put together, it became questionable whether the city was still inclusive. The game highlighted that in building an inclusive city, there is a difference between concept and approach, and it is not as straightforward as we think it may be. The processes require much more depth, as well as constant reflection and conversation between different groups in society to ensure various needs and interests are met.

The second, and last part of the event was the expert panel, where academic experts in the field shared their reflections about the project and more broadly, doing co-produced research with young people. The panelists drew parallels between the project and the conditions of youth in their own countries (e.g. Mexico and Argentina), mentioning that challenges in getting a job are underpinned by the same processes of capitalism, colonialism, patriarchy and structural inequalities. Panelists also emphasized the importance of intergenerational collaborations, and adult allies who can bridge the gap between young people and adults. In addition, it is important, especially for governments to recognise cultural diversity and the existence of multiple childhoods. Young people’s livelihoods are not homogeneous as they differ across gender, class, caste, religion and so on, and it is important for policies to be attentive to this. Though all the panelists did work in relation to children and young people, they all had different expertise such as on participation and activism, play, mental health, and poverty to name a few, with different research approaches and regional focuses. This made the panel session very interesting about the parallels they saw with the project, and their thoughts on doing research with young people.  

The day ended with final remarks from the Shaping Youth Futures project team, and many ‘thank you’s. The event was only two days, yet so much was learnt from each other, and as always with these events, new connections were sparked. Without a doubt, technology has its conveniences and facilitates international projects like these, where people from different countries around the world can meet and discuss online. But the in-person experience is still irreplaceable – the connection feels more ‘real’. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the opportunity for us to gather together and learn from each other at this 2-day knowledge exchange event, is even more special and invaluable. We are truly thankful for this, and look forward to the final event in Delhi this December!