When 60 students at Ashton Park School, in Bower Ashton, south west Bristol, were asked to design part of their city, they met the challenge with energy and enthusiasm. During two interactive workshops, the year nine pupils tackled a real-world brief in the city where they live.  

The site plan focused on Distillery, a recently completed office and hotel site in central Bristol with a planning application under consideration for two future office spaces. Mixing a completed scheme with the new proposals as a catalyst for discussion shows that the impact we can generate doesn’t end when the diggers leave.  

Meaningful engagement goes well beyond practical completion and showing young people that their voices are still relevant sparks curiosity. The results were bold and outstanding, with suggestions including a car-free, pollution-free neighbourhood centred around a fountain covered in community designed murals. As well as creative transportation methods including cable cars and an abundance of cycle and scooter parking. 

Working alongside members of the project team, we brought placemaking into classrooms, making it accessible and creative. Hearing the similarities in priorities and ideas we were having with the 13 and 14 year olds to those we have with key decision makers was inspiring. 

The students explored what makes a place work, considering how people move through it, what makes them stay, what makes them feel safe or welcomed. Then they applied it to their own designs. Working in teams, they drew, debated and pitched their final proposal. Some focused on green corridors connecting the site to surrounding neighbourhoods. Others designed public spaces and considered who would use them.  

This followed similar experiences with SEND pupils at Knowle DGE School in south Bristol, where students led discussions on designing their dream city. Across both sessions, what stood out wasn’t just the quality of ideas, but the shift in how students understood what works well in the place where they live and what improvements could be made. 

Inspiring the next generation is rewarding, we get to hear fresh perspectives, diverse voices, and hear the stories of how it feels to grow up in the places we’re working. These workshops are a small step towards representation. 

The recent changes to the Work Experience Guarantee mean that every young person in England should be able to complete two weeks of meaningful, high-quality work experience. Aligning our workshops with the Gatsby benchmarks and helping careers leads deliver on these commitments, we hope to grow this offer in line with the curriculum and ambitions of the pupils. 

We look forward to inspiring more of the next generation of place-makers and hearing further representation on the places where they live, in Bristol and across the country.