#Refugeeswelcome in Parks: Wellbeing and Inclusion in Public Open Space.

The 'Bench Project' research (2015) concluded that sitting outside in urban public spaces has positive outcomes for wellbeing and inclusion, and that this was more significant for people commonly marginalized by society. This 'Follow-On Fund' investigates the potential impact of these findings in urban contexts of increasing refugee new arrivals, with a specific focus on the mental health of refugees and integration process at the local scale. Though the refugee experience is complex and varied, circumstances of under-employment, poor living conditions, limited social opportunities and mental health pressures are commonly reported. We hypothesize that parks and squares can be conceived as a resource for people at a time of foothold and new belongings; that a pleasant place to sit outside can support fluid social networks, improve local awareness, allow for an inclusive egalitarian positioning (the right to sit), and provide mentally restorative interludes. We are provisionally naming this ethos '#refugeeswelcome in parks'.

However, there are challenges. The public realm can be a place where refugees feel uncertain about local norms, feel unwelcome, uncomfortable or are vulnerable to hate crime. Longstanding residents of a local area may react negatively to changing patterns of use of public spaces, especially when 'hanging out' is perceived as idle loitering, threatening, or fundamentally changing the ethos of a loved place. An increase in hostile architecture and management practice (implicitly acting against street sleeping) also impacts on destitute refugees.

This project is focused on exploring relevance of previous research findings for 'real world practice'. We propose a two country, cross-sector investigation and knowledge exchange, with some broader baseline information gathering good practice case studies across northern Europe. The German experience in particular is relevant due to high numbers of new refugees, and the combination of grass-root initiatives and strategic, integrated infrastructure to address wellbeing and integration. Local scoping work with stakeholder organisations and refugees will take place in Berlin and will be contrasted with experiences in Sheffield and London.

Aims and objectives.
With the ultimate ambition of improving refugee mental health and inclusion, our objectives are as follows:
Phase 1: developing informed partnerships
To engage with stakeholders at both national and local contexts in two primary sectors - refugee integration and wellbeing, and public space management - seeking to understand the current state of policy and practice relating to refugees and use of urban public open space.
To understand key motivations and benefits of spending time outside for refugees: including the development of common typologies of preferred locations and common barriers faced in accessing and enjoying these.
Phase 2: implementing agendas for change.
Draw on these findings and best practice case studies, and work with stakeholders and community members to identify how '#refugeeswelcome in parks' may be supported or addressed within organisational priorities and initiatives, and (where appropriate) within their own localities.
Support effective communication of this within or beyond individual organisations to effect long-term change.

The project will focus on embedding awareness of the potential of spending time in urban public open space to improve refugee wellbeing and inclusion, with specific attention to addressing existing barriers and improving the integration of initiatives between refugee welfare and public space management. At the local level, this will trial inter-sector working to plan and start implementation of short-medium term initiatives, in Berlin this specifically relates to new residential developments. At the UK national level we will work with relevant organisations to align existing selected strategies or projects with the '#refugeesin parks' ethos.

The outcomes from this project will primarily benefit three different stakeholder groups.
+ Stakeholder group 1. Organisations with a remit to support refugees.
Local Authorities, third sector refugee integration and wellbeing support, mental health support organisations, local level activists organisations.
+ Stakeholder group 2. Organisations with a remit to maintain and improve urban public open space.
Local Authorities, professionals and representative bodies of urban planning and landscape architecture, third sector environmental campaign organisations, parks and open space managers, community safety officers, local level supporters of urban greenspaces (Friends groups etc).
+ Refugees living in a northern European urban context.

We want these three groups of people and organisations to benefit long-term in the following ways:
+ Organisations supporting refugees to be aware of the benefits of spending time outside and to promote effective means of supporting this.
+ Parks and other urban open spaces are managed to include the objective of inclusion of refugee users.
+ Refugee wellbeing and inclusion to improve.

Note: We use the word 'stakeholders' as it is common terminology within our sectors, but within the Connected Community framing these may be seen as 'community members': organisations (and individuals within these organisations) who gain positive outcomes, and potential legacy, from the project (CLK, p15). As detailed in the Case for Support, we will engage with these people/organisations in part as participants, and in part as short-term partnerships within the life of the project: informing the scoping phrase, engaging with the implementation stage, and where possible collaborating with us to develop initiatives for long-term impact in their own contexts.

Within the timescale of the grant period (10 months) we expect to achieve benefits for the following organisations and contexts: 6 UK national stakeholder organisations (from groups 1 and 2), local scale organisations and refugees in Sheffield and London, local and federal scale organisations and refugees in Berlin, European level organisations supporting wellbeing and inclusion of refugees living in cities.

Relevant to their areas of expertise and responsibilities these groups will gain:
1. A greater understanding of the importance of access to good quality public open space for refugee wellbeing and integration, and of common barriers to using this resource.
2. Access to ideas and strategies that draw on cross-sector expertise and good practice case studies from northern European countries.
3. An opportunity to align these with their own organisational aims to maximise the potential for improving refugee wellbeing.
4. An opportunity to align with their own strategies for supporting inclusive use of urban public space.
5. Development or adaptation of a local resource or project which will help reduce barriers or support motivations regarding refugee use of public open spaces.