Building Playgrounds for Inner-city Cohesiveness

Children at Play

If you visit Jamaican rural and inner-city communities you will notice an absence of properly equipped playgrounds for children. The typical social space in the average community is comprised of a football field, suited with a cricket pitch and a club house, where community meetings are facilitated. A space where children and the young at heart can scream and interface with tools that provide opportunities for individual, supervised and group play, as depicted in the photos presented throughout this article, are rare.

Individual Play

I am young at heart and I must say that this playground delighted me much. I tried out everything and screamed like the kids when things got intense. Residents informed me that it has become a favorite hang out spot for many youth from across the various inner-city communities of Kingston, Jamaica. Face-to-face conversations, as well as direct traffic of youth, throughout my visits, revealed that various age groups came to enjoy the rides–Jamaicans and non-Jamaicans, residents of surrounding communities, and as far as St. Catherine. It was also visible that children were able to play according to their pace and preference while guardians socialized.

Youth conversing

In addition, the variety of activities that are available to the disposal of children facilitate healthy and non-combative play. This playground, residents say has its biggest crowd in the dusk hours of the day. They say that the soldiers who watch by Heroes Park play a vital role in restricting the times of use–otherwise children will play right around the clock. For the young people of the communities surrounding Heroes Circle, the playground is a breath of fresh air–we don’t feel hungry when we are here, no one thinks about war between their communities, we meet and talk to new people, and there is a lot of safe fun at no cost.

Playground

The playground benefits from protection provided courtesy of the officers on duty at the National Heroes Park–which is seen as an integral element of patrons’ feelings of safety. It also benefits from the protection of Jamaica’s national heroes, whose monuments are visible in the background. Aside from this site, patrons with whom I conversed could name only one other location, the Hope Garden and Zoo, where children could interact. Its rating was very low because of its cost, distance from the communities, and lack of interactive tools. Many patrons admitted that the slides were a first time experience, as well as many of the other rides. The excitement in the faces of the users and the increasing numbers of patrons that streamed in, as the evening got later, were definite signs of the potential of this small playground in bringing about cohesiveness amongst the children of Kingston, as well as within and across their communities.

Monument in background of playground at Heroes Park

My visits to this playground have reassured me that peace and unity within inner-city and poor communities, affected by crime and violence and inadequate realization of economic and social rights, is achievable. Providing opportunities for positive interaction is critical, which this–historic, colorful, dynamic and centrally located–playground has done quite successfully.

Now that it is operating and has a steady following, there is need to pay attention to the issue of maintenance; as an examination of the structure revealed the need for a system to ensure that the various components are kept in their optimum condition, in response to heavy usage and wear and tear. The big question here is: Who will take ownership of the maintenance function–users, surrounding communities, private sector, Government, or the implementing organizations/ donors? If we fail to mobilize support around maintenance of the playground it will not exist long enough to be a meaningful contributor to community cohesiveness and the fulfillment of the donors’ desire that it will be an instrument through which, “God [will] bless the children of Kingston, Jamaica.”