Summary
"Young people's perceptions of safety can play an important role in whether or how they use specific public places. How young people relate to certain places is further differentiated by their gender, age and other factors. Places also affect how they see themselves and others. Public safety initiatives act to maintain and enforce norms regulating these shared places. These do not generally include young people in their decision-making processes, although they affect youth, sometimes disproportionately. This thesis engages diverse opinions among young people to critically examine community safety initiatives. These are elicited through interviews and focus groups. This thesis also describes how youth participants were engaged in questions of public safety through their involvement in youth safety audits. Outcomes stemming from the audits include both tangible and intangible changes to young people's everyday spaces."--Page ii.