Right to Reyeroord #2 - Taking Space

Whereas Right to Reyeroord #1 [link] focused on how institutions could play a role in providing space for youth in Reyeroord, Right to Reyeroord #2 is dedicated to support them to develop, program and govern their own Youth Hub, called HQ.

In order to achieve this, Design & Publics:

• Attends bi-weekly meetings and organises tailored events with key stakeholders in Reyeroord (local organisations for youth activities, welfare organisations, schools, civil servants) to build a sustainable Neighbourhood Alliance (Wijkalliantie) to help youth connect, develop and thrive as an individual but also as part of a collective and democratic group.
• Facilitates bi-weekly meetings and organises tailored events with a dedicated group of youth to build a sustainable Youth Council.
• Organises events with larger groups of youth to (Pizza-nights) [link] to engage them, let them feel heard and grant them decision-making power over the nature of the Youth Hub itself and its activities.

(Action) research

This process was inspired by the question how researchers could actually contribute to citizens’ Right to the City; i.e., how to actually empower and emancipate them, beyond mentioning this in reports and academic publications. Hence our work in this process holds both elements of action-research, community building and empirical research in the field of transformative research & design.

(Co-creative) design

In this process we use design to support stakeholders in developing and communicating what they consider urgencies and what relevant interventions could be. We hold a strong belief that collaborative acts of ‘designing’ contribute to establishing and organizing ‘publics’ – groups organized around shared concerns (cf., Le Dantec (2016). Designing Publics).

Impact

This is an ongoing learning-by-doing process. We undertake various experiments, raised by Youth Council and Neigbourhood Alliance, or developed by ourselves in order to develop the principle of “for and by youth”: ultimately youth should have a say and agency in the running of the youth hub itself, be positively seen and heard within the neighbourhood and feel represented with the (governmental) system.

Partners

• Reyeroord+, an innovative group of civil servants, who intend to work in closer collaboration with citizens of Reyeroord.
• TalentzSkool
• Chance to Influence
• Samen Voor
• SOL (Samen Ondernemend Leren)
• JOZ (Jongerenwerk Op Zuid)
• Mr. Van Eijkschool
• Veenoordschool
• Local police officers
• SKVR

This process is funded by:

• Resilient Delta Initiative
• Municipality of Rotterdam
• Kenniswerkplaats Leefbare Wijken

Links

• Documentary Right to Reyeroord #1 (in Dutch). Extended version with English subtitles will be published shortly.