We recently gathered in the Long Gallery at Parliament Buildings for a roundtable that brought together children, policymakers, experts and international voices to explore one central question: how do we design healthier places for children?

For me, this wasn’t just another policy event. It was a celebration of evidence, of partnership, and most importantly, of children’s voices and leadership. From beginning to end, the day showcased what happens when we create space for young people to tell us how the environments they live, learn, play and travel in affect their health and wellbeing and when decision-makers genuinely listen.

The day opened with our host, broadcaster Frank Mitchell, setting the tone for an energising and inclusive conversation. We were privileged to have input from Chris Quinn, NI Commissioner for Children and Young People and to be joined by elected representatives:

• Robbie Butler MLA, Chair of the DAERA Committee and event sponsor

• Michelle Guy MLA, Education Committee

• Peter Martin MLA, Chair of the Infrastructure Committee

• Gerry Carroll MLA

• Representative from the office of Nick Matthison MLA

Senior officials including Dolores Palmer from the Department of Health participated in the opening alongside representatives in attendance from Department of Education and Department for Infrastructure. There were also academics in attendance and taking part in discussions including QUB and Stranmillis College, alongside CCEA, STEM NI, Northern Ireland Housing Executive, planners, voluntary and community sector representatives, and with a keynote delivery from our international partners at the World Health Organization.

Together, they heard the findings from the GroundsWell-supported evaluation of the Healthy Places, Healthy Children programme; a Key Stage 2 teaching resource that empowers children to understand how the built environment affects their health and to take meaningful action.

The research shows:

• Children developed a strong understanding of what makes an environment healthy or unhealthy.

• They gained practical skills from research and planning to gardening, building and design.

• Schools created spaces that promote nature connection, physical activity, mental wellbeing, inclusion and social connection.

• Children felt listened to. They created charters advocating for green space, clean air, safer streets, healthy food environments and better opportunities to play and explore.

• The projects leave a lasting legacy for pupils today, and for the young people who will follow.

This evidence matters. It demonstrates that children are not passive recipients of policy – they are designers and advocates when given the tools and trust.

We were honoured to welcome keynote speakers who brought global and local expertise to the conversation:

• Dr Yakup Gözderesi, Paediatric Resident and Youth Representative on the WHO European Healthy Cities Advisory Board, travelled from Türkiye to share why meaningful youth participation is essential for equitable, sustainable decision-making.

• Dr James Hennessey, urban designer, architect and Director at The Paul Hogarth Company, challenged us to rethink planning systems and design processes through a child-centred lens.

• Dr Niamh O’Kane, Queen’s University Belfast, presented the findings from the evaluation of our programme and the impact on children’s learning, health and agency.

These voices reminded us that designing for children is not a niche concern – it is a vital component of designing healthier, more resilient and more liveable cities for us all.

As Dr Hennessey reflected: “At least 30% of our population are children – but how often are they truly considered in planning decisions?”

The most powerful part of the morning belonged to the children themselves.

Holy Cross Girls’ Primary School and Knockmore Primary School presented their Schools Charter – thoughtful, passionate statements of what they believe every child has a right to in their environment. Their work, like that of all ten participating schools this year, reflects themes that emerged across the evaluation:

• More access to green space

• Safe, clean places to play and learn

• Healthy food environments

• Less pollution and safer streets

• Protection of wildlife and nature

Their presentations were articulate, confident and deeply rooted in lived experience. They spoke about transforming “Fairy Gardens” into “Bluebell Woods”, creating sensory and meditative spaces, planting bulbs and trees, campaigning against dog fouling, and designing friend benches, insect hotels and more.

This is what real participation looks like. Not just consultation. Not tokenism. But children advocating for change in their communities with the support of teachers, schools, and partners such as the GroundsWell Consortium, the PHA, EA, and NI Housing Executive.

The facilitated roundtable discussions, again expertly guided by Frank Mitchell, asked participants to consider what it would look like to take children’s insights seriously in policy and practice.

Questions raised by the children themselves shaped the debate:

• Should all schools be required to have green space?

• Should schools have healthier environments for example should smoking be banned at school gates?

• How do we ensure children have a real, ongoing voice in environmental decisions?

These conversations were robust, honest, and full of ambition. Crucially, they involved the designers, the decision makers and the departments responsible for education, health, planning and infrastructure – a reminder that designing healthy places for children requires genuine cross-sector collaboration.

Healthy Places, Healthy Children is not just a school project. It is a model of partnership between children, educators, researchers, policymakers and communities. It demonstrates what happens when we equip young people with knowledge, and when decision-makers respect their lived experience.

As we reflect on the event, I am filled with pride for the pupils who presented, for the teachers who championed them, for the partners who supported this work, and for the policymakers who showed up to listen.

This cannot be a one-off moment. It must be the foundation for long-term change in how we design places with, and for, our youngest citizens.

My sincere thanks to everyone who made this event possible – our speakers, partners, funders, MLAs, officials, and especially the children.

Their creativity, courage and leadership inspire us to do better.

As one teacher said in our evaluation:

“The programme helped the children see the bigger picture — and believe they can change it.”