Rheine. With a total of 15 children, the Children’s Advisory Council set out in the best summer weather on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, to explore playgrounds in the city. The Children’s Advisory Council is a body of children aged 11 and older. The offer is an opportunity for children to have their say and get involved.
Playgrounds satisfied the children for the most part
At 10:00 a.m., the children met with their bicycles in front of the New City Hall, where they were already welcomed by two employees of the Youth Welfare Office and one employee of the JFD. The plan was to visit a total of five playgrounds by bicycle. The first stop was at the playground on Heinrich-Duhme-Strasse. Upon arrival, the children were handed the first questionnaire and were allowed to test and evaluate the playground in great detail. Criteria for the evaluation of each individual playground included the number and appearance of the playground equipment, the trash situation, the maintenance, and the safety of the playground equipment. At the end of the questionnaire, the young members of the Children’s Advisory Council were allowed to express and write down ideas, wishes and suggestions regarding the playgrounds. Further questionnaires were filled out at the playground on Schneewittchenweg, at the school playground of the Emsland-Gymnasium, at Reichenbergweg, at Ulmenstraße and last but not least at Nienbergstraße.
The children had a lot of fun slipping into the role of observers and evaluators and did their job very diligently and with great comments. It became clear where the children had suggestions for improvement and what they would like to see. For example, in some playgrounds they wished for more playground equipment or for it to be replaced. The Children’s Advisory Council was satisfied with most of the playgrounds visited. “It’s a lot of fun here,” one child wrote on the evaluation sheet. To criticize was on some playgrounds the pollution by cigarettes, shards or the like.
Children to be involved in new playground and recreational space needs plan
As a reward, the children were able to enjoy a tasty French fry or curry sausage during the lunch break. The bike tour ended in the afternoon with an ice cream at the Ems river. The inspection of the playgrounds had the background to involve the children from the Children’s Advisory Council in the new play and leisure area requirements plan, which is currently in the development phase. Through the questionnaires, some interesting ideas and impulses emerged, which the Youth Welfare Office of the City of Rheine would like to address and which will be taken into account in the new play and recreational space requirements plan.
Photos: The children from the Children’s Advisory Council were allowed to explore the playgrounds extensively and contribute their suggestions for improvement.