Make Space – A creative call for change

Get involved in a new exhibition exploring teenage girls, and women’s experiences of parks (and public spaces).

Park design affects women and girls’ use of public spaces – it can either enhance or limit the freedom these spaces should provide. Research shows girls’ presence in parks declines sharply in teenage years – and patterns set in these years can affect how women use and feel in the public space.

The new exhibition is part of the ongoing Make Space York project and invites creatives to help raise awareness and share lived experiences in creative ways to engage the audience and invite them to question the status quo. Only by realising the issues can we work towards the solutions of more inclusive parks and public spaces.

The exhibition aims to be a combination of sharing information and creative pieces. The exhibition sets out to raise awareness of the issue in general, the project (and what’s been achieved so far) and start to imagine solutions on how these spaces could be transformed to become more inclusive.

Deadline for entries is April 30th 2025
Digital art/copies can be emailed to Makespaceyork@gmail.com
If you are submitting an original piece, please contact me before 30th April to arrange to drop off the piece at a house near Rowntree Park (or post).

Background summary

The ‘Make Space’ project has been running since 2022, originating in Rowntree Park, and has included a range of engagement and co-design with local teenage girls. This has led to both the installation of equipment teenage girls asked for in the park and also the ’Make Space’ Festival that has run in June for the last two years. The project continues to evolve but the key focus is on  raising awareness of the issue that girls’ use of parks drops, compared to boys, as they enter their teenage years and taking steps to create more welcoming parks. 

Parks have huge benefits for physical and mental health and wellbeing, but teenage girls are being actively designed out of parks. Not feeling welcome in parks can affect how girls feel in other public spaces, and patterns set in teenage years can affect later life. It’s important that all girls, and therefore women, feel welcome in the public spaces and design considers their wants and needs.  You can read more about why the project is needed and what’s happened so far here. 

Exhibition project

I’m looking for both creative pieces for the exhibition and also those who’d like to be involved in some way in the project team to make this happen. Opportunities are open to girls and women of all ages to get involved (from age 11- 111!)

Creative responses are invited including photography, poetry, zines, theatre, music, dance, film, banner creation – other suggestions are welcomed.  The majority of the exhibition will be outdoors so a discussion of your preferred media and practicalities may be needed.

Some suggestions of themes of work include those below – others are welcomed:
-Raising awareness of the issue of teenage girls and parks in general
-Reasons WHY teenage girls, and women, may not feel welcome in parks and public spaces (welcome includes ‘safety’).
-Lived experiences of issues with parks and public spaces
-Positive experiences of parks for teenage girls, and women
-Design ideas for more welcoming parks for teenage girls/women

The exhibition will be on display in Spark (City of York centre) from 23rd-25th of May 2025, and some parts also displayed outdoors in Rowntree Park as part of the Festival of Ideas at the end of May. Creative pieces are to be submitted by April 30th 2025 (see above for details).

Some ideas for ways teenage girls could get involved/ideas to submit can be found here

The finer details

The Make Space York project is run by myself, Abigail Gaines. It started as a passion project and I don’t have a team, but have had some people volunteer from time to time. Due to the grassroots nature of this project, there is only limited funding that will be used towards display materials/printing needed for the exhibition and there would not be payment for those involved. Therefore creative entrees are invited from those who are passionate about the project and are in a position to be able to offer their time and skills on a volunteer basis.  I’m aware ‘exposure’ doesn’t always pay the bills, but if you are able to be involved on a voluntary basis then I’d love to hear from you.

How to get involved?

Creatives – Express interest using this form and I’ll drop you a line.
Project Team – Read more here and get in touch

Some ideas to help teenage girls get involved can be found here.

You can read more about the overall project here. I’m always looking for people to get involved in the various elements of the project and would love people to help take the project on and see where it can go!
(a) The exhibition
(b) The Make Space Festival June 2025
(c) Ongoing engagement and research

I started the Make Space (for girls) project in 2022 as a passion project, I didn’t know where it would go and the project continues to evolve. It started with research and engagement with local girls, and together we co created designs and ideas to create a more welcoming Rowntree Park. I have been fortunate to achieve some funding for the festival in 2025 and a patchwork of grants that helped get equipment to start the creation of an area for teenage girls (we want to continue to grow this and get more!)  

One of my roles in life (I have many) is as the charity manager for the Friends of Rowntree Park, and as of March 2024 I also work freelance for the national charity ‘Make Space for Girls’ mainly doing their social media and engagement sessions with teenage girls across the country. I have a keen interest and passion for co-creating with young people and gender inclusive design (and inclusive design in general).   My background is secondary school and sixth form leadership and I am a parent of a teenage girl, and boy. 

Abigail Gaines

Contact: makespaceyork@gmail.com (cc hello@rowntreepark.org.uk)