APiC bridges the gap between research, action and young people’s participation
We’re A Place in Childhood (or APiC, for short). Since 2018, we’ve been supporting young people to change our world.
We help make Scotland a great place to grow up by supporting our young citizens to participate in projects and help create more inclusive policies, services and environments.
We achieve this by combining our expertise in research, advocacy and action, and help young people to lead the change.
The APiC approach
Overcoming barriers
Children and young people continue to face barriers in their everyday lives. We can see this most when it comes to accessing to the outdoors, having the freedom to play and getting involved in decisions about where they live and how they learn. We’re committed to changing this.
Respecting rights
Our work is grounded in the lived experience and needs of children, young people, and their associates. The United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child cements young people’s rights to participate in all matters that affect them, and the obligations of adults to take these views seriously.
Delivering expertise
APiC is a collaboration of urban planners, landscape architects, youth workers, educational psychologists and outdoor learning experts. With considerable experience and a track record of success, choose APiC for your next project and see the difference that young people’s involvement can make.
Work with us
Children and young people are at the heart of everything we do.
We share the values of our clients to place young people at the heart of policy and practice.
Tell us how we can help you to involve children and young people in your next project.
Meet our wonderful team
APiC was founded in 2018 by Jenny Wood and Matluba Khan, and since then has been a collaboration between Staff and Board Directors.
Jenny Wood
Co-director, Policy and Research
Jenny Wood
Jenny runs APiC day-to day, and draws on her 11 years of experience engaging with children and young people and undertaking social research.
She is a trained town planner and completed her PhD at Heriot-Watt University on the relationship between the Scottish town planning system and children’s rights. She also has a track record in academic research on poverty, homelessness and severe and multiple disadvantage. Jenny has run multiple codesign projects with children and young people in a range of contexts, and is an experienced public speaker.
Jamie McKenzie Hamilton
Co-director, Policy and Research
Jamie McKenzie Hamilton
Jamie runs APiC day-today, and prior to this worked as a strategic consultant for the private sector. He completed his PhD at Heriot-Watt University on relationships between indoor and outdoor task settings and cognition in primary schoolchildren. Jamie has a BSc psychology and MSc environmental-decision-making, and interests in systems theory, cognitive neuroscience and ecological psychology.
He was co-founder of online qualitative research pioneers, Netfluential, and the Community Chartering Network, which facilitated development of the UK’s first community charters and life plans.
Anna Gaffney
Policy and Projects Officer and Board Director
Anna Gaffney
Anna is APiC’s Policy & Projects Officer, leading innovative codesign projects on the ground and heading up our policy advocacy. She is also a Senior Energy Policy Officer at the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). Anna has an MSc in City Planning and has worked in a range of planning roles across the public sector.
Anna was previously an Operational Team Member for the 2050 Climate Group, which leads a social movement through empowering young people in Scotland to act on climate change. In 2016, Anna performed alongside Jenny to deliver Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas Show ‘Keep the Kids Out!’ at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Read more about Anna’s journey to APiC.
Daniela Miler
Board Director – Landscape Architecture
Daniela Miler
Daniela graduated from the University of Edinburgh with an MSc in landscape architecture. She now works as a project landscape architect at HarrisonStevens in Edinburgh. Previously she has worked in Scotland and abroad, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams on landscape architecture, urban planning, and community engagement projects. At HarrisonStevens, Daniela is mainly involved in the public realm, active travel, and community-led design schemes across Scotland.
Daniela is also a STEM Ambassador and actively volunteers her time to mentor in secondary schools to promote horticulture and science-related subjects.
Dave Close
Board Director – Fundraising and Youth Work
Dave Close
Dave has more than 25 years’ experience of youth and community work in England and Scotland and has been Executive Director of Hot Chocolate Trust in Dundee since 2013. He is committed to fully human, collaborative approaches that meet the complex challenges of marginalisation and inequity: positive cycles of encounter and collaboration make change happen.
He is also currently also a Board member of Creative Dundee, Chair of Dundee Youth Work Network, and attends St Paul’s Cathedral (the Dundee one).
Sean Peacock
APiC Associate
Sean Peacock
Sean is a PhD researcher based at Newcastle University. His current PhD research focuses on the ways that digital tech can support young people’s participation in placemaking and urban futures.
His professional background is as an urban planner, working in London and the North East of England before returning to university. He is motivated to see places made better with the input of children and young people. Through his research, he has developed expertise in designing creative methods and tools to amplify youth voices in city-making processes.
Read more about Sean’s journey to APiC.