Looking for innovative forms of youth participation, COE (Council of Europe) has suggested creating participatory environments “which are supportive to and encouraging of participation, within which individuals are free to act and develop initiatives as they see fit.” Autonomous self-directed play with reused materials respond better to the developmental needs of the children than most modern and expensive playgrounds. Proposed approach addresses different developmental needs of our target groups: according to research, kids aged 9-13 need independance, inclusion and risk taking; kids aged 13-18 need leadership, influencing and problem solving. We also acknowledge that values (democracy, sustainable development) are acquired mainly by experiencing them in real life settings and by active participation. Bringing what the kids learn in the classroom into real life, contributes to their personal and social development. Our local youth work is largely focused on indoor activities. With introducing and adapting the junk (or:adventure) playground model in the Baltic states, our aim was to fill the void in the local youth work practice, to raise awareness in the society and to nudge the wider public towards supporting such initiatives.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child emphasises children’s right to autonomy, agency, and free play. Yet there is extensive scientific proof that the lives of the children have become increasingly regulated and controlled, leaving them without valuable experience of healthy risk-taking and autonomous free play, especially outdoors. With the loss of freedom, initiative and creativity are suppressed. Kids are getting more passive, dependent and alienated from democratic participation processes and lack everyday skills. Past years’ experience with Covid pandemic has only intensified these problems: young people have become more screen- and indoor-centered, physically inactive and mentally distressed. This problem is reinforced by the public space: in the Baltic states there are either none or not enough outdoor spaces for the youth that are freely accessible and respond to the developmental needs of the youth. Research indicates that local youth workers lack knowledge, skills and tools to support the needs described above. The necessity to support the youth in becoming mentally and physically healthy, creative, active citizens is obvious and grave.