Introduction

Rumpus Room is artist- and youth-led, and hosts a programme of activities for children, young people and their families in the Rumpus Room Studio and Yard in Govanhill, Glasgow. They initially applied to the Young Placechangers Ideas Fund programme, and have gone on to develop not only the outside space, but a creative placemaking toolkit.

Young Placechangers project in a nutshell

Led by their Young Creative Advisors (YCA), Rumpus Room led a creative consultation, with the aim of improving the environmental quality, biodiversity, playability and vibrancy of the shared outdoor space at Rumpus Room. It was important to them to engage with others in the surrounding Govanhill community, as well as with groups that currently used the space.

The young people planned and delivered two public gatherings and Yard Open Days through which to do their consultation.  They worked with Bike for Good and South Seeds to incorporate activities people could get involved in such as growing workshops, smoothie bike sessions, free food and a cycle pump track. They explored and consulted on the many ways the outdoor space could be used and how it could work for all the building users and wider community folk that took part in these open consultation days.  In all, 6 Young Creative Advisors led on the work, and involved over 60 children and young people at the events, as well as about 150 adults, including event participants, other user groups and service providers.

Community Placemaking and the Place Standard

The template and techniques were used to deliver a wider public consultation across the two community open days at the Yard and also in smaller group sessions with the Young People and Young Activists.  The outcomes have helped shape decisions about usage of the yard and future plans. Through this process, and in partnership with greenspace scotland, Rumpus Room have also developed a unique toolkit, designed to support young people to take ownership of places through creative investigations, interventions and actions – the This Must Be Our Place toolkit.

Next steps and new partnerships

The YCA was a new group, establishing itself, with young people coming and going, so the Rumpus Room also worked closely with Govanhill Youth Club. Building trust and helping those involved to feel a sense of ownership over the space is recognised as long term and ongoing. The project helped build on existing relationships and establish new ones, with Govanhill Youth Club, Govanhill Greenspace, Plant Grow Share, Bike for Good, South Seeds, Food for Life and the Soil Association. It has led into a further fruitful project working together on Food for Life Get Togethers and co-hosting a food & growing project working with children, young people and families.

“What has come from this project is the development of a Young Activist Group at Rumpus Room which was an unexpected and massively positive outcome.”

To support the now established Young Activist Group for 14-25yr olds who have produced their first magazine exploring the Climate Crisis & Creative Protest, Adapt & Act Issue 1

The Young Activist Group then went on to develop another project to explore and develop new works around the idea of Food Sovereignty

 Find out more about Rumpus Room

This Must Be Our Place toolkit More Young Placechangers case studies

---

greenspace scotland engages and empowers young people through the Young Placechangers programme.

Young Placechangers puts young people in the lead role – bringing together the wider community to look at local spaces and plan improvements. The Young Placechangers programme has used a co-production approach to develop and pilot a training and support programme enabling young people to transform both the place they live, their relationship to it and the wider community.

Young Placechangers