Places for children
Recreational sites, associations, parks, and natural areas were depicted in all of the maps and were described as crucial aspects in the children’s lives since they provided them with the opportunity for play. Participants stressed the importance of having access to places where they can - as one 9-year-old girl stated - ‘enjoy their childhood before growing up’ and where they feel free to play safely and undisturbed. In villages and refugee camps, the access to play-areas was described as being much more complex. For example, in both the Dheisheh and Jabalia refugee camps, children expressed with negative emotions the fact that “there is no park in the camp”.
Children described being satisfied as long as their cities, villages, or camps were able to support their needs, providing them with spaces where they could enjoy leisure activity freely and safely: ‘we are children and we love to play’ (Gaza, 12, female).