Children - a catalyst for neighbourhood connection

 

Engaging young people is an ideal way to foster connections between residents

by Mateja Mihinjac

I moved to a new neighbourhood several months ago. I was pleasantly surprised how lively the neighbourhood became as soon as the weather warmed up. Children playing out in the streets and in grassed areas in-between residential blocks, riding bikes and scooters, people walking their dogs – me included. This became a great opportunity to regularly meet people of all ages occupying outdoor space. 

Another thing I noticed was how young and middle-aged individuals, in particular, were regularly meeting in the grassed areas outside their blocks. They were chatting, sometimes also having a picnic and enjoying an odd drink. I observed most of these individuals were parents of children who were playing with each other nearby. Often, complete families of parents and their children were playing soccer in a playful competition. 

 

Youth in the Helsingborg, Sweden SafeGrowth program - describing
their summer safety audits in their neighbourhood

This reminded me of the community sports initiative from New York city from several years ago when I attended one of the SafeGrowth training workshops in Brownsville and Van Dyke public housing in Brooklyn.

 

THE VAN DYKE HOUSES SPORTS INITIATIVE

During the SafeGrowth workshops we discovered a powerful community-led initiative: the Unite Brownsville Cornerstone League (UBCL), a basketball program bringing youth and police together. NYPD Neighborhood Coordination Officer Jason Anazagasty, led the league and also took part in the workshops.


Officer Anazagasty described how much he enjoyed working with children and how the program builds stronger relationships between youth and police. He also pointed out a deeper impact the program created.

UBCL teams included youth from both Brownsville and the neighboring Van Dyke housing developments, with games held at the Van Dyke community space. That required Brownsville youth—and their parents—to visit Van Dyke regularly. These visits sparked interactions among parents who had avoided each other for years due to grudges, tensions, and old conflicts. 

The Brownsville public housing in New York City were once described  
in Oscar Newman's book Defensible Space 

The program created a neutral space where families could reconnect, rebuild social ties, and eventually launch other community gatherings. UBCL became more than just basketball—it opened a pathway for families and neighbors to engage again.

 

OTHER EXAMPLES

Other examples demonstrate similar outcomes:

• In How do youth sports facilitate the creation of parental social ties? the author reformulates the role of children from passive recipients to “active social agents” in the formation of social capital due to interactions between children that indirectly foster relationships amongst their parents. 
• In Using youth sport to enhance parents' sense of community the authors explore how involvement in youth sports boosts parents’ sense of belonging and community.
• In Community threads: Youth sports create generational connections explores how youth sports build intergenerational ties in addition to building social bonds between parents.

The verdict is unanimous – children serve as a catalyst for neighbourhood connections!

 

SafeGrowth consultant Tarah Hodgkinson wrote about safety audits
with kids in her blog from Saskatoon

FINAL THOUGHTS

We often fail to give children much credit – as adults we frequently nag about them being loud and disturbing our peace. 

The above examples teach us of the important role that children and youth play in building social capital. In SafeGrowth, we encourage participation of youth in workshops because their perspective should be included in community voice. 

It is time we recognise the multi-faceted role children and youth play in our neighbourhoods.