Leicester Libraries - children and young people consultation
Mair Education worked with regeneration consultants Erskine Corporation to consult with a wide range of local children and young people for Leicester Libraries Service about their vision for a new type of ‘community hub’ which will offer state-of-the-art library, ICT and multipurpose community facilities.
As part of Leicester City Council’s bid to the Big Lottery Fund to develop a community library on the New Parks estate, Sara was asked to undertake the consultation with children and young people.
The aim of the research was to identify requirements for a new library and community space in New Parks and Sara developed a Young People’s Panel (see below) and held consultation workshops at the Library.
Sara devised practical activities to encourage respect and positivity during the consultation sessions and ensured the young people, many of whom were disaffected, felt valued by subsequently letting them know what actions were recommended as a result of their input.
Head of Libraries, Patricia Flynn said “This is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to the regeneration of New Parks and we are committed to involving local people, not only in the design and construction of the building, but in the future development and management of local services”.