SDSN Youth Program - A Project Reflection - A Park for Women and Mental Health

This year I was lucky to participate in the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) – Youth Initiative Local Pathways Fellowship program. I’ve now completed program and have a project and certificate for my work. There is so much that I want to reflect and share with others about this opportunity.

Sustainable Development Solutions Network - Local Pathways Fellowship Program Certificate
This certificate is not licensed under the Creative Commons Sharealike license.

The title of my project was ‘Creating Greenspace After a Flood in a Newly Zoned Medium Density Housing Area for Women With a Long-Term Mental Health Condition’. It was a very challenging project that required consistent dedication. Despite being challenging, I felt supported during the process from within the SDSN, Lismore and Blue Mountains community.  So many people shared their  perspective on my project which enabled me to continue and make something beautiful and admirable.  In the program I was able to connect with people across the globe who had  an intention to help each other on built-environment sustainability. I was reminded of my travels in the Middle East being constantly finding pleasant, surprising and unexpected ideas.

Click the image to download the full project pdf. This SDSN Youth and Local Pathways Fellowship trademarks and logos, and front cover image is not licensed under the Creative Commons Sharealike license.

Once I started the program I began a journey of dynamic challenges and changes. By the end of the program I  had changed in a significant way, and was more positive and motivated about life and the future of our planet. The draft design was for a small but very beautiful park with a labyrinth for women with a long-term mental health condition.

Aerial view design sketch for a proposed park design near Barham street in Lismore. The sketch comes with a legend.
An aerial view of a labyrinth for design in the park near Barham street in Lismore.
Solar panel light design for park upgrade in Lismore.

Quickly, I realised that this project was benefiting me in a very personal way. To create spaces that heal from trauma after my own trauma, which I have self-expressed through experiential art. Lismore was the town that took me in, where I digested four years of travel, and my future life in Australia whilst completing my environmental science degree. To arrive at such a positive solution after such a large flood in February 2022 is an incredible achievement for myself.

I recall when travelling in Esfahan I was very low on money not having access to cash at an ATM. It was during this time that I discovered the Mulberry trees in the blossom of spring. How wonderful that way of thinking of the future. Now I want to extend that same feeling, the feeling that somebody today took action to make the future better for the children of tomorrow. Over the next few months I intend to keep following up with the project and having the park completed.

You can download the project PDF for further reading using this link in addition to the image: Download Link

If you have any comments on this project, or suggestions please reach out to me. You can find my contact details in my CV on the About page of this website.