TOUR GUIDE FLEDGLINGS: THE ART WE SEE, THE PLACES WE PLAY

WALKING WORKSHOPS TO ENCOURAGE CRITICAL-THINKING SKILLS IN YOUNG PEOPLE

Become a Skyliner fledgling.

As tour guides for a day, students will learn their influence over their environments; from the art we see, the places we play, and the ways we access or dwell in places.

Workshops are split between classroom and walking activities and teach critical-thinking skills for learners aged 7 - 11 (Key Stage 2). They engage children in their surroundings and have them question how the public realm, towns, and cities can work better for them in the future.

With prompts and guidance, children will assume the role of tour guide and learn that they can influence their environments; from the art we see, the spaces where we play, and the ways we access or dwell in our cities - have your young people think like planners (they probably already do!)

The goal of fledglings is to encourage critical-thinking skills directly relating to towns and cities; and having young people be able to communicate their observations and thoughts - for instance:

• How equitable are our places? 

• How can we change them for the better? 

• How does the public art here make me feel? 

• Who is this place for? 

The activity will prompt discussion about our urban environment such as shelter, seating, accessibility, and we provide some basic building blocks for feeling confident talking about these things to peers and adults.

At the end of the workshops, all participants are approved as critical-thinking guides and given a small pack including prompts to help them continue to assess places and talk about them independently. Workshops can be one-offs or form part of a longer programme, and can be adapted for older children and young people.

The end goal is for children to realise they can influence how cities and towns are designed, and can expect more of the places they spend time. 

Our workshop materials have been developed with young people, and walking workshops are led by Hayley; the UK’s only critical-thinking tour guide. I also work as a cultural placemaking strategist, and focus my efforts on ethics and equity in public art and public realm.

Fledglings workshops are available nationally to groups.

Open workshops for individuals to book are in the pipeline.

What to expect

An example of a half-day workshop.

Workshops begin in a small classroom environment where the group will use the fledglings card deck to cover four focus areas:

1. Rest

2. Play

3. Equity

4. Public Art

Each topic is explored through definitions, example scenarios, and two to four critical thinking prompts per area specific to urban spaces.

We’ll do a simple hands-on exercise thinking about public realm layout, then spend the rest of the workshop in a local public realm space talking to each other and applying what we’ve learned to the space to observe with a critical eye.

Participants graduate as critical-thinking guides and take home materials which include key prompts so that they can continuously be involved in rethinking urban spaces and places.

alternative programmes

Longer programmes or those aimed at older age groups will look at focus areas in greater detail. They can be tailored to run across multiple days, weeks or months, and can be adapted to suit community engagement projects, or focusing in on one particular area - for example, by highlighting public art as a priority, students can contribute to an open call for artists forming a community advisory panel.

Longer or more intensive levels of fledglings will also use external resources such as The Place Bureau’s Collaborative Place Futures toolkit, and the Thugz Mansion card deck from Privatise the Mandem.

All workshops regardless of length align to the UNESCO Future Literacy initiative, in helping young people adapt to long-term thinking and in taking control of shared futures.

More about future literacy…