We were really pleased to host the celebration event for our Safe Spaces research collaboration recently. At this event we launched our guidelines for community organisations on creating Safe Spaces for supporting mental health.
These were created through a collaboration between Redcatch Community Garden, the University of Bristol and the local community. Local adults and young people have designed guidelines for community organisations on how to create a safe space to support wellbeing and mental health. These guidelines aim to foster inclusive, respectful, and welcoming environments for all community members.
Launch event
We were excited to presented the guidelines with insights from key contributors and displayed art work from the project. We also invited our guests to take part in interactive activities around creating a safe space. The launch was well attended - including a visit from Alfie the RCG cat, who features in the young people's guidelines (animals were an important aspect of making our group feel safe).
The project and workshops
Naomi Warne (researcher), Jenny Clarke (art therapist) and Lucy Condon (patient and public involvement and engagement facilitator) worked with the local community to explore what makes a safe and welcoming space to support mental health and wellbeing.
The research team used art and nature activities to start conversations with two groups; one of 11 adults and one of 13 young people. Over the course of four co-design workshops we supported each of the groups to design recommendations on how to create a safe space. The groups also incorporated views from the wider community – from one-to-one conversations and written suggestions collected by the research team.
Funding
Funding for the project was awarded by the Public Engagement team at the University of Bristol from the Research England QR Participatory Research Fund (QR PRF) 2023-24. Naomi Warne is supported by a fellowship awarded by The Prudence Trust.
Downloading the Guidelines
The guidelines can be downloaded directly from the links below.
Adult Safe Space Guide: https://www.redcatchcommunitygarden.com/safespacesguideadults
Young People’s Safe Spaces Guidelines: https://www.redcatchcommunitygarden.com/safespaceguideyoungpeople
Further information
For more information, please contact:
Naomi (naomi.warne@bristol.ac.uk) about the research
Heather (heather@redcatchcg.com) and Jayne (jayne@redcatchcg.com) about Redcatch Community Garden or using the guidelines
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