Parkwatch: The Results
Make Space for Girls’ Parkwatch report is the first data for the UK on how teenage facilities in parks are actually used.
The survey was a citizen science project in May 2023, in which hundreds of participants visited their local park and counted how many teenagers were using the facilities, and how many of those were girls. In addition, the charity surveyed the provision for teenagers and young people in 90 council areas across the country and spoke to teenage girls about how they experienced these spaces.
The results demonstrate that the most commonly provided facilities – MUGAs, skate parks and BMX or pump tracks – are heavily dominated by boys but where other facilities are provided, the usage was more equal.
The report’s recommendations include:
- providing a wider range of play facilities for teenagers and young people
- consulting teenage girls to find out what they want to see in parks
- councils to evaluate their provision and address these inequalities.
About Make Space for Girls:
Make Space for Girls campaigns for parks, public spaces and the facilities within them to be designed for girls and young women - not just boys and young men.
They raise awareness of the issue, as well as using research and campaigning to ensure that the voices of girls and young women are heard in the planning process.
