Next Generation's Vision for the Olympic Park (March 2010)
Twenty-two young people from the five host boroughs are being given a unique opportunity to help shape the future of the Olympic Park by getting behind the scenes of the London 2012 Games.
The Legacy Youth Panel, made up of 13-21 year olds, has been set up by the Olympic Park Legacy Company to get teenagers involved in the long term planning and urban design of their area.
Over the next five months, they will visit the Olympic site, work with planners and meet key 2012 figures as they build a picture of what developments would make a difference to their lives and what events they would like to see in the Park. The Youth Panel will also make school visits, alongside the OPLC to get children thinking about the improvements the London 2012 Games will bring to their area.
Chief Executive of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, Andrew Altman, said:
"We want young people to feel a sense of ownership towards the Olympic Park because they will be the generation that will most experience the change to east London over the next 25 years.
"The Legacy Youth Panel is a fantastic opportunity to capture the imagination of young people and galvanize others into getting involved."
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said:
"The Legacy Youth Panel is inspiring young Londoners to get involved with shaping the future of the Olympic Park and really put their mark on the 2012 legacy. What a priceless way to harness the creativity of London's Youth and a groundbreaking move to get teenagers involved in the urban design of the areas they live in. They will see their ideas mean something to people for decades to come"
Minister for the Olympics and Paralympics, Tessa Jowell, said:
"It is so important that when plans for the Olympic Park are being made they are shaped by the next generation. Young people taking part in the Legacy Youth Panel have shown that they have a vision for what can be achieved after the Olympics. Their ideas will help bring the Park to life while also giving them skills and experience that can put them in good stead when seeking to enter the workplace. It shows that our commitment in Singapore to change young people's lives applies off the sporting field as well as on it."
As part of their induction, the Legacy Youth Panel have already visited the View Tube on the greenway followed by a tour of the Olympic Park.
The Legacy Youth Panel is run by Fundamental Architectural Inclusion, an architecture centre based in Stratford, on behalf of the Olympic Park Legacy Company. In the coming months, they will:
- Work with the masterplanners, architects and decision makers
- Help with plans to animate the Park from 2013 onwards including looking at concerts, festivals and sporting activities
- Visit schools to speak to other children, teachers and parents about the Olympic legacy
- Participate in a photography project, documenting their ideas of what creates successful and sustainable communities
- Taking part in walking tours of their local neighbourhoods
- Sharing ideas on making the Park fun, exciting and an attractive and affordable place for young people and the wider community, immediately after the Games
- Visit the Olympic Park and other key regeneration projects to share learning such as the Rich Mix Centre and Southbank area
- Participate in themed workshops on creating successful communities, infrastructure and sustainable developments
The Legacy Youth Panel's work will culminate in a summer event where they will present their experiences to other teenagers from the host Olympic boroughs.
Below are comments by some of the young people, on why they wanted to join the Legacy Youth Panel.
Tobi Bello, 15, from Sarah Bonnell school
"Volunteering as a young person in Newham is an opportunity for us young people to have our say in the future of the Olympic Park and London. It has been great meeting people who are involved in the project and seeing the Olympic site develop on my doorstep."
Ibtesham Hossain, 17, from Sir John Cass Sixth Form
"I made the decision to join the Legacy Youth Panel not just for my voice to be heard but for young people generally to be listened to and influence what happens to our area after the Games."
Yuan Chen, 17, from Blackheath High School
"I am really pleased to be a member of the Legacy Youth Panel which I think will be an amazing opportunity to be part of the Olympics coming to London and help create a lasting legacy that will benefit all the different communities that live on the doorstep of the Olympic Park."
Shaneice Bailey, 14, from Cardinal Pole RC School
"I joined the Legacy Youth Panel to develop my confidence and share young people's views with others and to have our say. I joined the youth panel also because I am interested in sports and the Olympics and want to find out more about what is happening first hand."
Shabaz Hussain, 15, from Kelmscott School
"I wanted to be part of the Legacy Youth Panel because I wanted to support the regeneration of my local area. I wanted to discuss matters which will affect by peers and other people of my age and so I decided to join the group which I thought would be best in helping me make these choices."
Some of the founder members of the panel have gone on to study regeneration-related subjects at university, while others have returned to act as mentors to the new members.