The Haringey Safer Parks for Girls and Women’s Network was born from the Women and Girls' Safety in Parks: Lessons from Research and Practice national conference held at the University of Leeds in 2023. Creating the network was an opportunity to see how Haringey can use this extensive research and send out a call to action to look at how we can make our parks feel safer for girls and women.
Since it’s fruition, the network has grown to over 30 members including:
- local community groups
- council departments including the Active Wellbeing and Parks teams, Violence Against Women and Girls members, Regeneration teams, Culture team, and Anti-Social Behaviour team
- Haringey Friends of Parks groups
- physical activity and sports providers, all of which have an invested an interest in making our parks more inclusive and supporting women and girls to feel safe to get active, connect and enjoy our parks.
We strive to make our parks more inclusive. This may be through consultation, co-designing spaces and co-producing activities and events that will appeal to women and girls.
Creating safe parks for girls and women is creating safe parks for all.
Action plan
We are working towards an Action Plan with 5 key themes:
- Activation: creating activities to ensure more girls & women feel safe to be active in our parks.
- Welcoming and Accessibility: looking at design that makes our parks and green spaces safe places for all communities to thrive.
- Safety: enforcement teams, signage, eyes on parks to increase in places where women & girls can feel safe.
- Behaviour Change: men & boys as allies, bringing an awareness and education
- Communication: ensuring each member of the network has a voice to a create platform where we can work together.
Messages from members of the network on why this group is important
It's all about promoting community, engagement and creating a sense of belonging
It is great to have the support and backing of the Council to help deliver such important activities for women and girls in the borough
The local community who regularly attend have directly improved their sense of wellbeing
It helps me to network with people offering different kinds of activity.
It gives me encouragement and appreciation.
Space to support one another and better help residents
The Safer Parks for Women and Girls Network in Haringey is crucial to me because it ensures safety, empowerment, and freedom for women and girls in public spaces
Contact
If you'd like to get involved or learn more, email lily.labonte@haringey.gov.uk.