'Designing Healthier Spaces for Children' event at Stormont
Belfast Healthy Cities hosted a roundtable event at Stormont on Tuesday 11th November where Dr Niamh O'Kane launched the GroundsWell impact report of Healthy Places, Healthy Children
Belfast Healthy Cities brought together policymakers, practitioners, health professionals, researchers, educators, and young people at a round table event in Stormont’s Long Gallery. The focus of the event was a discussion on how cities can be designed to better support the health and wellbeing of children and young people, and provided an opportunity to launch the findings from Healthy Places, Healthy Children – a programme supported by the GroundsWell Community Innovation Fund.
The event was hosted by broadcaster, Frank Mitchell, and opening remarks were provided by:
- Robbie Butler, MLA
- Chris Quinn, Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People
- Dolores Palmer, Department of Health and Belfast Healthy Cities Board Member
Speakers included:
- Dr Yakup Gozderesi, Paediatric Resident and Youth Ambassador, WHO Euro Healthy Cities Advisory Board, who spoke about “The Voices of Children and Youth in Decision Making” and the importance of youth participation in shaping healthier urban environments.
- Dr James Hennessy, Paul Hogarth Company, who presented on “Designing Places for Children and Young People” discussing guidelines for child centred planning, design and stewardship.
- Dr Niamh O’Kane, Queen’s University Belfast and Groundswell Consortium, who discussed the recent delivery of the “Healthy Places, Healthy Children” teaching resource, and presented findings from the Impact Report – an external evaluation of the programme, and its impact on the children and their schools.
A highlight of the morning came when pupils from Knockmore Primary School and Holy Cross Primary School presented their Healthy Places, Healthy Children School Charters – a series of pledges written by children, for children, outlining their right to safe, green, and healthy school environments.
The round table concluded with an engaging discussion among participants, including local MLAs and decision makers, about how to integrate child-friendly and inclusive design principles into urban planning, ensuring that every child has access to healthy, safe, and inspiring places to grow up.
Read more about Healthy Places, Healthy Children
Watch a video detailing the projects designed by two of the participating schools
