Adolescence is the peak age of onset for mental illness and rates are rising, especially for girls and young women. In Australia, the number of people aged 15-19 years with a 'probable serious mental illness' rose from 18.7% in 2012 to 22.8% in 2016, increasing to 27.8% among 18/19 year-olds.

Adolescents’ experiences in the public realm are important for their wellbeing. Positive experiences can enhance mental wellbeing and help young people develop a positive future identity. The public realm can provide a sense of belonging, escape, adventure, curiosity, respite and growth.

However, when I looked at the evidence I found that we don't know enough about how the urban built environment is associated with the mental health and wellbeing of adolescents. Much of the research that exists focusses on adults or younger children. Adolescents are too often the forgotten group; cities are rarely designed for them nor are they invited to take part in research that affects them. I want to change that.

The goals of this research are:

• to improve our understanding of how the public realm influences adolescent mental health and wellbeing

• to develop research frameworks tailored to capturing the needs of young people

• to provide planners and designers with the knowledge and skills to design urban spaces that nourish and nurture young people.

Yes. This is a PhD research project at the University of Melbourne and has ethics approval 2021-21762-18566-3.

I'm looking for people who are available to attend an online interview (60 minutes) and an in-person focus group (60-90 minutes). The interview would take place at a mutually convenient time between February and May 2022. The focus group will likely be in August or September 2022.

The purpose of the interview is to introduce you to the research and to explore and understand how your experiences of using and visiting parks might influence your mental wellbeing. You can think of this more as a discussion or a chat than a formal interview; I have some topics and themes that I’d like to cover but we will go with the flow and I’ll be guided by you.

The purpose of the focus group is to test and refine the findings from the interviews and to workshop with you and other participants the various methods you think would be most suitable for collecting further data on this topic. For example, this might be a survey or further interviews. For the focus group, therefore, I'm interested in your perspectives and experiences concerning the public realm and mental wellbeing AND your ideas about how to shape and design the research to best meet the needs of young people.

If you choose to participate, I hope that you will find the process interesting, empowering and fun. You will also have the opportunity to help shape and design the research, which may give you valuable insights into the research process.

You will be reimbursed up to $50 for taking part: $20 for attending the interview and $30 for attending the focus group.

The possible benefits of this research to society are increases to theory and knowledge; new and improved frameworks for conducting future research into issues that affect young people; and enhancing the knowledge and skills of planners, designers and health professionals with regards to designing urban spaces that nourish and nurture young people and help them prepare for a happy, fulfilling and meaningful adult life.

As with any research, there are risks to participation. For example, if you choose to participate in this project, there is a risk that you may feel distress, shame, guilt, anger, intrusion or fear if you disclose sensitive or embarrassing information during or after the interview or focus group.

Whereas any findings communicated from this study will not include personally identifiable data, given the small number of participants involved in the study, it may not be possible to guarantee your anonymity. For example, someone might still be able to identify you based on what you said.

I and the University of Melbourne take these risks very seriously and we have developed stringent risk management processes and protocols to minimise the likelihood and impact of such risks occurring. You can read the Plain Language Statement, which contains more details about this. I’m also very happy to provide you with further information - just ask!

To participate in this research you need to:

• be 18 or 19*

• live in Melbourne

• speak and understand English

• use or visit parks in Melbourne at least once a month.

If this sounds like you and you think this project is something you'd like to get involved in, please fill out the form below and I'll get back to you ASAP!

* if you are 17 but will be 18 on or before 1 July 2022, you may still be able to take part.

For the purpose of this research, a park is an area of land, located in Melbourne, where you go to walk, play, hang out or relax. This can include (but is not limited to) parks, gardens, bushland reserves, urban waterway corridors, pocket parks, reserves, trails, squares and ovals. While a park does not have to be ‘green’, it usually includes some greenery, for example, trees or lawns.

Examples of people using or visiting parks:

• A few times a week, Andra runs around 'the Tan' loop in the mornings before work

• If the weather is fine, Billy eats his lunch with friends in Lincoln Square close to uni

• After work, Xiaoyun likes to walk by the Moonee Ponds creek to relax and listen to the birds

• Edward and his mates hang out in their local park on a Friday night drinking and chatting

• Kai deliberately takes a longer route to TAFE so they can walk through their favourite park.

If you would like more information about this project, including understanding the risks and how we will manage those risks, you can watch the video above, read the Plain Language Statement or contact me using the form below.