Spaces for Play: Intergenerational Community Development of an Urban Park in the East Midlands of England

Abstract

Learning and development occur in many spaces both within and outside formal education settings. This chapter explores progress and possibilities of a knowledge exchange programme with a third sector organisation involved with community development, playwork and youth work in an urban area of the East Midlands. Theoretical concepts draw on a growing international interest in intergenerational play (Graves, 2002) and 'cultural circles' (Gill, 2020) as a method of challenging power and communication barriers between practitioners and families from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Using Foucault, post-structuralist feminism and autoethnography, as well as insight from a knowledge exchange partnership -the chapter offers a critique of a national initiative aimed at addressing 'holiday hunger' and community engagement. Practitioners in international contexts may benefit from the chapter's attempt to address a series of co-constructed questions that include:1. How do we raise the profile of children's play as a non-negotiable starting point for universal service provision to children and young people?2. What can be done to 'connect' diverse communities living in close proximity and sharing amenities within urban areas? 3. How can we celebrate differences whilst designing universal services, which promote social cohesion through play and leisure spaces?