MyCityMyPark, is an Instagram campaign that visually documents city-owned parks to highlight the importance of safe and equitable access to green spaces. Posts of parks with short descriptions of their resources and accessibility are posted; ending with open-ended questions that ask our audience, youth specifically, to reimagine the park and how they want the space improved. Anyone with an Instagram account can comment, share their ideas, or bring attention to a space by using our hashtag #MyCityMyPark. Our page also provides information about existing resources, like the 311 line, to inform people of the different ways they can engage with the city.

Access to high quality green space is fundamental to our quality of life, especially during a pandemic. Children and youth specifically, benefit from having access to parks. The data collected in the first engagement phase of the Vancouver Plan 2050 noted that many areas of Vancouver experience large gaps in accessing high-quality green space.

The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation investigated this issue and shared their findings through the VanPlay report in 2018, which is a master document that guides their work. Its goal is to increase and improve equity, connectivity, and access to parks and recreation in the city. In their engagement process, only a small percentage of youth were involved, making up only 4% of their stakeholders. Youth are a significant portion of park users and have the right to participate in planning and making decisions for parks in Vancouver, which is why this initiative, MyCityMyPark, was started to give young people the opportunity and the platform to get their voices heard.

As the MyCityMyPark initiative gained more traction, we found that youth are more willing to engage and tell us their ideas. We recommend that the City of Vancouver engage with youth on a platform that is easily accessible and comfortable for them.