Giving Children the Chance to be Children: Memory, Identity and Holidays in the Countryside Tea Tverin Department of Geography Cornwall Campus Sub-title in 24pt Calibri – Name of presenters CBC Showcase Event, , University of Exeter, Streatham Campus

Outline: *Introducing CHICKS *Rationale *Existing literature *Research Aims *Methodology *Preliminary results *Questions Outline:

Founded day free respite breaks Tywardreath (Cornwall) & Brentor (Devon) All the children referred 8-11 & Safe environment & safe adults Country Holidays for Inner City Kids

Why we need this research? Child abuse on the rise in the UK Voluntary sector – lack of funding Children/young people absent from (geographical) research on memory/memory-making Practical, theoretical & policy contribution

Existing Literature Leisure activities beneficial to children and young people (e.g. Roberts, 1997, Passmore, 2003, Sacker & Cable 2005) Positive impact of a holiday (e.g. Neal, Sirgy & Usyal, 1999,Gilbert & Abdullah, 2004) Social tourism (e.g. McCabe, 2010) Positive benefits of nature (e.g. Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989, Ulrich, 1991, 2002, Faber Taylor et al., 2001) Broaden and build theory (Fredrickson, 2001)

Aim 1. How are happy memories created and sustained, creating a happy remembered place to return to at times of stress and anxiety? Aim 2. What are the immediate and longitudinal effects, which extend months possibly years beyond the holiday, of these holidays on these young people? Aim 3. What is the role of nature in creating a ‘therapeutic’ holiday experience? Research Aims

Methodology Iterative-inductive Ethnographical methods  Semi-structured interviews  Observations  Research diary  Art/photo projects  Informal discussions  On-line questionnaires  Monitoring of a social network space

Preliminary Findings Processes of forgetting  allowing memory formation? Nature as a physical space creating boundaries and acting as a base for social interactions  Therapeutic landscapes (Gessler, 1992) Genuine love & affection mediates regulation and control  moral frameworks/landscapes of care Referral agents reported increased confidence & happier disposition immediately after CHICKS  contradicting reports on long-term effects Embodiment of fun & play (Harker, 2007)

Thank you for listening – Any Questions? Research presented here was conducted during an ESRC Studentship under its Capacity Building Clusters Award (RES ) in partnership with CHICKS-Country Holidays for Inner City Kids For more information about this project and the work of the Centre for Sport, Leisure and Tourism research, see PhD Researcher Tea Tverin,