How to plan and run the Kids Co-designing Healthy Places workshop

Use the step-by-step guide below to plan and run the workshop using the audit data that kids have collected. Adapt the workshop to suit your needs.

The activities outlined here are for a two-hour workshop.  

Purpose of the co-design workshop － ＋

The purpose of the workshop is to support kids to contribute their views in conversation with council staff and other adults about how councils can create healthier places for kids. In the workshop, the kids will: 

  • discuss and analyse the data collected during the auditing phase of the project and/or via surveys
  • come up with, and prioritise, solutions with council staff to incorporate into council policies and planning
Getting ready for the workshop － ＋

Working with kids

For council staff: we recommend these workshops are delivered by staff with facilitation skills, particularly experience in facilitating with kids where possible. If you don’t have these skills in-house, connecting with schools to deliver the workshops together may be helpful. 

Workshop facilitators – both council/teachers – need to keep in mind that they are there to support kids as they voice their perspectives and create ideas for action. It is important to ensure that the workshop isn’t dominated by adult voices.  

All kids' perspectives matter. If a child’s ideas are unclear, take the time to unpack and clarify their message. It might be that you need to re-highlight what it is that councils can do if their suggestions fall outside of your brief. You may also need to go back to the audit data with kids to remind them that the solutions they come up with have to respond to the issues identified in their audits/surveys.

Preparing the data

Before running the workshop, you’ll need to have collected relevant audit and/or survey data and analysed it so you can share the major findings at the workshop. This can involve a fair bit of work.   

Depending on the kind of data you have collected your presentation to kids might include photos taken, digital clips and graphs/charts. If you are reporting on numbers, be sure to round any numbers up/down so they are whole numbers and use visuals (graphs/charts) as well.

Prepare data cards that kids can use in the workshop. Here is a set for you to adapt to fit with your data and context. Provide some blank data cards so kids can add issues that emerge during the conversations.

Preparing for the Kids Co-designing Healthy Places workshop

1.

Arrange one or two planning meetings to organise facilities, facilitators, equipment, roles and responsibilities and any online set up (if you are running online workshops).

2.

Organise your data and prepare your data presentation slides/handouts.

3.

Tailor the PowerPoint presentation we’ve provided to suit your context and purposes. You’ll need a data projector in the workshop space.

Having slides kids/facilitators can refer back to for guidance throughout the workshop will be really helpful.

Remember this workshop is designed so you can adapt it to your own local context. So feel free to edit and adjust.

4.

Download and prepare required copies of any of the following workshop resources:

Make sure you have enough sets per table for kids to work on during the workshop. You can also create your own workshop assets too. These are just suggestions to help kids familiarise themselves with the data and then unpack it.

5.

Council staff/facilitators should prepare some examples of previous projects or changes that have been made in the council area to improve community health. You will be able to draw on the examples in conversations with kids during the co-designing action phase.

6.

Choose facilitators (teachers, council staff, youth council members) who will guide each table of kids as they complete the workshop activities and brief them on what they will need to do.

7.

Collect any additional materials you will need. You could need textas and pens, butcher's paper, a projector and computer, Blu Tack, string, Post-it notes (small and large) and stickers (coloured dots).

Running the workshop － ＋

Below, you’ll find instructions for a two-hour workshop. We have divided the workshop into seven main stages:

  1. Welcome and setting the scene
  2. Sharing kids data
  3. Unpacking kids data
  4. Connecting the dots
  5. Identifying priority issues
  6. Co-designing solutions for creating healthy places
  7. Closing the workshop

You can run a longer or shorter workshop, adjusting the timing of each phase to suit your needs. Factor in breaks for the kids and facilitators.

1. Welcome and setting the scene 10 min

Welcome all the kids and adults. 

Introduce the workshop’s aims and take the chance to ensure everyone understands why they’re there. 

Use the PowerPoint slides to run the kids through the key points. 

Materials you will need:

PowerPoint slides

Steps: Using the slide presentation, complete the following steps.

1.1 Acknowledgement of Country

1.2 Introduction to the day

Provide an overview of why kids are here and what they will be doing throughout the workshop.

Suggestions about what to include here can be found on the slides you have downloaded.

Tip

Make sure you highlight the key question for the day, ‘How can we create healthier places together?’

1.3 Overview of the council’s role and responsibilities

This is important as it will help kids understand what councils can and can’t do. Be sure to mention the health planning work you are doing. Ideally you will have a handout as kids will need to come back to this when they start considering solutions.

2. Sharing kids data 15 min

The main purpose of this stage is to help kids become familiar with the audit data you have collected and the main issues that emerged from your analysis.

Materials you will need:

Presentation slides; Data handout

Steps

Introduce this section by simply stating 'This is what you told us'

How you present the data to kids depends on the kind of data you have collected.

  • For survey data - present the data as a series of different graphs.
  • For quick audit data - along with your summary of the main issues raised include photos, drawings, word clouds and maps.
  • For digital story data - provide a summary of the main themes and show one or two digital stories.

Share a copy of the 'sharing the data' presentation slides at each of the workshop tables so kids can refer to it throughout the workshop.

Tip

If you want to, you could include other data that you think might be relevant for kids to know about.

Tip

You may like to set up a gallery walk or exhibition that showcases kids data. Kids can spend time in the space reviewing the data.

3. Unpacking kids data 30 min

Once you have presented the data to kids, they need time to unpack the data in their groups.

Materials

Posters; Data cards, Post-it notes or blank cards; pens or pencils; Blu Tack

Tip

Data cards are cards pre prepared by you. You need to create a set of cards that contain a list of factors based on the data you have collected. We have a pre populated list we have generated from a range of data from local councils. You can download this here and adapt it to suit your context. Make sure you have some blank cards that kids can add new factors to if they need to.

Tip

If you collected survey data OR you want to find out more about a particular issue begin this section with the 'We want to find out more about….' posters. For example if safety was identified as a key issue in the survey data spend time unpacking the issue. Ask kids to tell you more about safety in the community and get them to note down the different issues on the poster so you can better understand the issue from a kids point of view.

Steps

First place the poster 'What things impact on…' on the table (see below)

  1. Each table should have a set of data cards. Share the cards amongst the group and ask them to place their cards near to the issue that they think the factor on their card impacts on. For example, if they have junk food advertising on their data card - they would put it next to healthy eating. Check out the Bendigo case study for examples of how kids distributed the data cards on their posters.
  2. Encourage kids to discuss each factor and how it impacts on the identified theme/s. For example using the junk food advertising factor, you could ask the following as a way of developing a deeper understanding of the different factors and their impact:
  • what kind of junk food advertising was identified in the data?
  • what kinds of junk food advertising do you see in your neighbourhood?
  • how might it impact on healthy eating?

As kids discuss the different factors make notes on the poster that capture the conversation. The different points will be helpful as you move through the workshop.

Tip

If kids think a card relates to more than one issue they should put the card in between the themes. For example public transport could relate to healthy eating (access), feeling safe and being active (access). So it would be placed in the middle of the poster.

4. Connecting the dots20min

Kids now spend time connecting the dots to identify factors that connect to multiple issues. This is an important step as it will help them to start thinking about what issues might be the most important for councils to address.

Materials you will need:

String/wool; pencils, pens or textas

Steps

This activity builds on the work kids have done in the previous activity.

  1. Ask kids to review the poster and where the different cards have been placed and circle the cards that have been connected to multiple health issues.
  2. Once they are happy with the placement of the cards and the connections ask them to 'connect the dots' by using string or wool to connect the card to the health issues (you could also ask them to draw lines).
  3. On completion of the task, use tape to stick the string/wool in place.

Check out the Bendigo case study to see an example of how kids connected the dots on their posters.

Tip

As kids work through this process they will make new connections between factors. For example, they might connect junk food advertising to public transport. They might decide to move cards around as they make the new connections. This is why using string/wool to make connections is helpful as they can move it easily or add new pieces.

5. Identifying priorities10 min

Kids review the posters and vote for the issues they think are the most important issues to address.

Materials you will need:

Stickers or Post-it notes (enough for each kid to be able to vote for their top 5 priorities)

Tip

Whilst it is up to kids to decide how they spend their votes we would recommend placing an upper limit on how many votes they can spend at once.

Steps

  1.  Give kids a set of stickers (up to 15).
  2. Council staff should introduce this section by revisiting their role and responsibilities so that kids can ensure that their priorities can be addressed by council. Present this on a slide so kids can check it as they place their votes.
  3. Ask kids to place their stickers next to the factors they think are the most important from the data. For example: kids may allocate 5 stickers to the issue they think is most important and so on down to 1 sticker.
  4. Once complete, tally the numbered votes. 
  5. The five issues with the highest number of votes become the priority issues kids will consider in the next stage of the workshop.

 At this stage it is important to facilitate a group discussion about:

  • reasons why kids voted for particular factors;
  • how the voting process worked; and
  • what are the positives and negatives of using this kind of voting process for identifying priority issues in the group.

Before finalising the top 5 issues ask kids to double-check whether or not the priorities fall within the remit of councils.

6. Co-designing solutions to create healthy places 25 min

This step supports kids and council staff to co-design solutions that councils can use in their health planning.

Use the top five priority issues identified in the previous voting activity. Write them down on a sheet of paper.

Tip

Ideally, council staff will spend time engaging with kids as they come up with their solutions so that they are co-designed. Staff should understand themselves as a resource throughout this stage of the workshop. Let kids know you are there to help and they can ask questions as they develop their solutions.

Tip

Make sure the issues that kids are discussing are connected to the priority issues identified in the data. It is really important that kids are designing solutions that respond to the data and the priority areas identified. This will ensure that solutions are relevant and able to be actioned by council.

The following prompts could be helpful in generating conversations and supporting further thinking:

  • How would you …
  • What could you do to adapt/change/remove/develop … why?
  • That is a great start, what do you think we could do …
  • What do you think other people might think if we tried …
  • What does the rest of the group think we could do here to …
  • How might we …
  • That is a great idea, how could we …

Materials you will need:

Co-designing solutions worksheet, slide presentation – council case studies; pens, pencils or textas

Steps

Getting creative - brainstorming solutions

Inform each table that their task is to design a healthy neighbourhood in response to the top five issues they identified through analysing the data. 

  1. List each table’s five priorities on a large sheet of butcher’s paper.
  2. Ask kids to brainstorm as many ideas as they can to address each of the priority issues.

Encourage the kids to think creatively and talk about their ideas.

  • What could they design? Build? Change? Create? Remove? Adapt? Offer? 
  • What are the pros and cons of the different ideas? Time? Cost?

Tip

It is important that council representatives are part of the brainstorming process. BUT make sure that your role is a supportive one that contributes to kids offering and working through their solutions.

Tip

You could conduct the brainstorm as a whole group activity by sticking butcher’s paper up on the walls. Encourage kids to look at the different priority areas and contribute their solutions to the graffiti walls via larger sticky notes (or they can write on the butcher's paper).

Documenting group solutions

You can use the poster 'Co-designing healthy places' to get kids to record their priority issues and their suggestions for addressing the priority issue. Or create your own.

If there is time, or if there are a lot of ideas, you could conduct another voting process similar to before.

7. Closing the workshop 10 min

The workshop’s final stage explains to participants what next steps the council will take and how the information they have co-developed will be used.

Materials you will need:

Presentation slide

Steps:

Council staff should take the chance to underline the importance of the kids’ contributions, during the workshop and leading up to it. Council staff describe what they’ll do next as they develop their plans and strategies. This section should include: 

  • timelines for planning
  • other activities that the council undertakes 
  • how you will inform kids about the process and outcomes.
After the workshop － ＋

It is important for you and the kids to have a chance to reflect on the workshop and the overall process. 

Kids could fill in an evaluation form or get them to write a structured reflection based on what they learnt and how they felt about the process. Teachers might want to tie this reflection to relevant achievement standards to help reporting. 

Once the relevant council plan or strategy has been developed, council staff should liaise with teachers to report back to the kids who participated. This gives the kids the opportunity to see how their design solutions were incorporated. This reporting could take the form of a meeting, or it could be a short video sent out to participants. 

Incorporated solutions could be highlighted on council or school websites to show the community how kids’ perspectives fed into the council’s community health strategy. 

Council staff should also consider ways to keep kids involved in the delivery of actions that stem from their ideas. Kids can continue to provide valuable insights on the design and usability of the neighbourhood features the council will change.