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May 1, 2007Children Play Key Role in Forging Close Communities |
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From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Contrary to popular opinion, children play a key role in strengthening local communities and making people feel safe in their neighbourhoods, according to a study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Much panic today about childhood in urban areas is based on a very partial picture, argue the authors, Dr Susie Weller and Professor Irene Brugel, of the Families and Social Capital ESRC research group, London South Bank University. According to the evidence they found, children are active - both indirectly and directly -- in forging neighbourly relationships and connections for their parents. The findings are from a three-year study involving some 600 children and 80 parents in five contrasting areas - two inner London boroughs, an outer London suburb, a new town in the South East of England, and a city in the Midlands. During the study, the researchers examined children's experiences of travelling to school and to a wide range of activities outside the home - from formal clubs to hanging out in the park. They found that the more parents were involved in the lives of their neighbours, the more freedom they gave their children. At the same time, the more social networks children have in a neighbourhood, the greater parents' confidence in the safety of that area. This in turn impacts upon their classmates' freedom of action. The researchers also found local differences as to which children go out and about without adults, and these were not simply related to poverty, racial background or local levels of crime.
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