The voices of girls and young women are too often missing from traditional consultations and design processes. At Lancaster West Estate, Make Space for Girls and Social Place worked with three local young women from the local area to address this gap.
These Young Ambassadors took part in a paid working and learning programme exploring housing, gender, race, space and design. Over several months, they developed their ideas through workshops, site visits, mapping creative activities and discussions. The resulting report is in the form of a graphic novel, foregrounding their voices, and captures their reflections and proposals for a more inclusive estate.
This report demonstrates how detailed engagement, even with a small group, can unlock powerful insights into the barriers young women face - and the solutions they imagine. Its aim is to spotlight the voices of the Young Ambassadors themselves, valuing their lived experience and vision for the future - and also giving then the confidence and conviction that their voices need to be heard.
This has been a project about listening deeply, interrogating our own methods and investing in young women’s voices. We hope the report will help shape conversations and action not only in Lancaster West, but far beyond.
The project was delivered in partnership with Turkington Martin Architects and the Lancaster West Neighbourhood Team.
You can view the report here.
