Adventure Bears and the great outdoors...

Dr John Horton, Dr Faith Tucker and Dr Michelle Pyer recently hosted a conference on ‘The Great Outdoors? Children, Young People and Families in Natural and Rural Spaces’.

The conference provided an opportunity for academics from a range of disciplines (including geography, education, law and psychology) to share their research.  The conference attracted researchers from as far afield as Ohio and Wollongong.

Topics discussed included the commodification of woodlands, walking as a way of connecting with nature, Forest Schools, and outdoor playspace.  Prof Helen Lomax (Institute for Health and Wellbeing) gave a workshop on using visual methods to explore children’s use of outdoor spaces.  Tracy Hayes (University of Cumbria) ran a session on using story-telling as a means of exploring connections to nature.  Tracy explained how she uses 'adventure bears' to encourage children to talk about their experiences.

The ‘adventure bears’ used by Tracy Hayes (University of Cumbria)
as a means of encouraging story-telling

 

Enhancing accessibility on campus

Dr Faith Tucker, Dr John Horton and Dr Michelle Pyer have been awarded a £3,000 Innovation Fund grant to develop resources to enhance accessibility on campus.

Since 2005 the team have facilitated annual student-led audits of accessibility issues encountered by students with diverse disabilities.  The project will build upon this work by supporting student involvement in the production of innovative maps, guidance and resources for disabled students, visitors and staff at the University.  They will be working closely with the University’s ASSIST team.

Students carrying out a wheelchair accessibility audit earlier this year.

In September 2015 a number of student bursaries will be advertised.  The successful students will carry out site audits, consult with students with diverse disabilities, and develop the resources.

Current students with disabilities identified some ways in which accessibility could be enhanced
- these three ideas will inform the project.

Children, Young People and Families in Changing Urban Spaces Conference - September 2014

A conference on Children, Young People and Changing Urban Spaces will be held at the University of Northampton on 3rd and 4th September 2014. The conference, organised by members of the Human Geography team, will bring together new, multidisciplinary research exploring the lives, issues and experiences of children, young people and families in diverse, international urban contexts. The conference will involve speakers from a range of universities. As well as welcoming academics from the UK, there will be speakers from Singapore, New Zealand, Finland, Canada, Ireland and India.