Young people help transform skate park with art project

The 18 volunteers, aged from 11 to 16, teamed up with professional street artist Cageone to design and paint an art wall at the facility within Roberts Park.

The project was initiated by Turning the Corner (TTC) and Roberts Park management in response to reports of anti-social behaviour in and around the park.

TTC aims to challenge negative perceptions and attitudes between local businesses and young people.

Young people using the park and those from the surrounding area were encouraged to attend street art workshops earlier this year.

The young people involved consulted local business owners to see what they would like to see painted. It was decided that the wall would feature stencils of the young people involved in quirky poses.

Assistant park manager Martin Bijl said: “The recently restored Roberts Park had attracted a considerable number of disengaged young people with sometimes poor definitions of acceptable and unacceptable public behaviour, perceived by older park users to be anti-social.

“The Turning the Corner street art project was proposed as a way of displacing the graffiti elsewhere in the park and was a way of promoting inclusion. I believe this has set the benchmark for standards of behaviour, as well as sending out the message that there are people within the community who do care about young people.

“The project has been a resounding success and the wall has become a colourful point of interest and is, in itself, a reason to visit the park.”

Although the project has had a positive impact on many neighbouring businesses, Glenaire Fisheries and Key Stores, both on Coach Road, have been particularly pleased with the results and now display a YES pledge to highlight they are young people- friendly establishments.

Senior youth worker Fran Arkley for Groundwork Leeds said: “The project has been a great success for both the young people involved and businesses in the area.

“By engaging in this positive activity, these young adults have gained new skills in art and design and have also improved their confidence by talking to business owners.”