myplace Chesterfield - Derbyshire
Involving young people with a disability
 Involving young people in the planning of myplace centres can mean a lot of different things, but at myplace Chesterfield, it means making sure young people who are often left out of the process are included.Making Chesterfield myplace somewhere that young people with disabilities can hang out and get support alongside other young people has been a key part of their design plans.It seems obvious in theory, but when it comes to practical considerations, what makes a youth centre friendly to a mix of disabled and non-disabled young people?
Heather Fawbert, Project Manager at Fairplay in Chesterfield, says wide doorways, wheelchair height, cooking facilities, adjustable height tables, and ceilings that absorb sound are just a few of the attributes of the building that are important to consider during the design process of an all-inclusive myplace centre.
Equally important, however, is to not make attempts to help excluded young people obvious - this is something the young people Heather works with have identified as being very important to them. They don't want their youth centre to look institutional, and making blatant attempts to include them just defeats the purpose.
Aside from these practical considerations, what makes Chesterfield myplace somewhere where all young people, including those with disabilities, can go to have fun, hang out, and get the support they need are its many facilities and services, including a variety of arts amenities such as a recording studio and digital media equipment.
It will also have two unique features: an indoor sensory room and an outdoor sensory garden. The sensory room will include a heated water bed and images projected on the walls like a planetarium. There has already been interest from organisations working with emotionally troubled young people interested in using these fantastic facilities.The sensory garden is to be a calming, relaxing place; containing plants that have a distinct scent or texture, brightly coloured flowers, and plants that look or sound unique depending on the breeze.After all, Heather points out, these areas will benefit everyone. With all the stresses of modern everyday life, it will be good for all the young people who go to the centre to have places of calm and peace to escape to.
To make sure that as many young people feel welcome at the centre as possible, young people have been consulted throughout the process of planning the centre.Over the recent February half-term, a group consisting of both disabled and non-disabled young people got together at Fairplay (the youth group soon to become Chesterfield myplace) to discuss plans for the centre and give their input.Chesterfield myplace will have a mixed committee based on the Fairplay model that will regularly be involved with running the new centre.
Heather says the best advice she can give other groups planning youth centres is: "Always ask, are we going to be accessible? Is everyone going to be comfortable? Work from that baseline right from the start."
According to Heather, 150 young people already volunteer at the existing Fairplay centre, and new groups are showing interest as well.Not only will young people play an advisory role, they will also have the opportunity to take up apprentice positions at the centre as for example, receptionists or gardeners. In addition, training for adult staff in how to work with disabled young people will be encouraged.
The efforts and determination of centre members and staff to include all young people in community projects is what made Fairplay so successful at including groups that are traditionally marginalised, and they plan to make sure the new myplace centre is just as great a place for young people to go.
|
Resources 
Chesterfield 
