Safer Streets in Hartcliffe: A creative response to barriers to play
“We’re all in this together! Let’s change things!”
Following our Playing out in Hartcliffe child-led research, Room 13 Hareclive children were engaged and excited about the freedom to play out with friends and about tackling the main barriers – unsafe streets from speeding traffic and adult fears. They were up for making You Tube films, protest marches and closing roads!
Thanks to further collaboration with Playing Out CIC and funding from Bristol City Council, we could take ALL of these ideas forward in exciting and creative ways. Read below all we did as a Management Team and adult team working with all pupils in the school: our safer streets film The Sad Reality, awareness raising, local community activism, children’s voices, and road closures.
Our safer streets film:
The sad reality
Our aim was to turn our research findings into a creative response that would help parents, drivers, children and the general public to understand the issues from a child’s point of view. Everyone wanted it to be a film and The Sad Reality became Room 13’s first low tech, co-created film.
As always, we started with discussion round the table. After doing some online research the team quickly decided the film needed to have humour and not be too dark in order to win understanding from both children and adults. Artist educators Shani and Paul worked with Year 5 and 6 children to conceive, write, script and film the story.
Everything had to be very low tech: filmed on a mobile phone, mainly in the studio space, and using lots of cardboard props to summon up the scenes – a family living room, car collision, TV news coverage and more! Children also made props, raided wardrobes for costumes and starred as very different characters. There was so much to think about, find or make, and this generated a level of excitement and enthusiasm in all studio users which in turn brought real commitment and a belief in the project.
Behind the scenes…
Awareness raising
The Sad Reality has been used in assemblies at schools, in Bristol City Council driver training, and at conferences on road safety and child friendly cities. We’ve also submitted it as evidence to government select committee consultation on what would make streets safer. As children say in the film: “We’re all in this together! Let’s change things!” Watch our brilliant 4 minute Safer Streets film here!
Local community activism
We screened The Sad Reality at our local church and invited parents and decision makers from the community and Bristol City Council to come and discuss how we can change things. At school, we gathered with placards made by children in the studio and protest-marched to our event, chanting: “What do we Want? Safe streets! When do we want them? Now!”
At the church, we welcomed families with popcorn and juice, shared our film, and then children spoke ‘from the pulpit’ about the issues. It was an amazing event where parents too spoke out about dangerous driving. What could be done about all of it? We looked at solutions from New York as well as very local ideas. The Councillor and BCC representatives promised to take this away.
Madi, Mia, Freya – children’s voices on safer streets
Watch A Chat with Room 13er Madi (11) where she describes her playing out experiences and what safer streets would give her. And watch senior Room 13ers Mia and Freya’s film where they discuss safer streets, the barriers to being outside and getting around, and their motivation to make The Sad Reality.
Road closures
Finally, we also helped Playing Out to work with our host school, Hareclive primary, to temporarily close the roads around the school gates on two separate days after school and open them up for play – a school play street. Bristol City Council stewards made the roads safe. We had a stall, provided chalk and ice lollies (it was hot!) and spoke to parents about why playing out is so important. Everybody LOVED it!
Collaboration
Some of our children and parents also worked with Knightstone Housing Association to make this Hartcliffe community film about dangerous traffic and playing out and how to change things. You can read more about our whole collaboration on Playing Out’s Safer Streets project page.
