“Listening to the Neglected Whispers of Jakarta: Understanding Poor Children’s Outdoor Play”

Living in a high-density neighbourhood, Jakarta’s poor children face limited outdoor play spaces, which creates unequal conditions when compared to wealthier children. Appreciating Jakarta’s poor children as experts of play, this research reveals how these children value outdoor play and play spaces. Furthermore, the research also analyses the factors that shape their outdoor play. Conducting qualitative research with an ethnographic approach, this study combines participant observation, photographs, map drawings, ranking, transect walks, and informal interviews as methods to collect data from multiple sites: RPTRA Intiland Teduh, RPTRA Manunggal and non-designated outdoor play spaces around these neighbourhoods. It is important to highlight that children’s perspectives are the main focus of this research. Outdoor play is a part of poor children’s daily lives in Jakarta. Before the establishment of designated outdoor play spaces (RPTRAs), these children only had alleyways, streets, abandoned plots, and other non-designated play spaces. However, they also have their own reasons as to why they are still playing in both types of play spaces. It is important to highlight that the main drivers for the children playing outdoors are the need for sufficient spaces to (physical) play and the need to socialise with other children (peers). Due to children’s eagerness to play outdoors, these play spaces have become laboratories for creativity, which can be seen in how they use, modify, and create new functions from what they find in their play spaces. This research found that geographical factors, generational relations, and gender and class differences play important roles in shaping poor children’s outdoor play in Jakarta. First, from the perspective of geographical conditions, and in determining which outdoor play spaces children use, a large play space consisting of natural elements is their preference. Secondly, generational relations shape their outside play time in the form of parents working hours, school hours, and religious-based customs (e.g. Muslim prayer time). Moreover, generational relations are also significant with regard to how adults determine equipment, schedules, activities, and rules. Furthermore, parents’ transferal of values also creates the risk of religious-based bullying and discrimination in children’s play outdoors. Finally, gender and class differences also influence children’s social relations in outdoor spaces.