A shortage of public toilets is preventing people across the UK from enjoying time outdoors and connecting with their community. According to a report by the Royal Society for Public Health, one fifth of people don’t leave their homes as often as they’d like to because of a lack of public toilets. Older people, carers, parents with young children, and those with health conditions and additional needs, are particularly affected.
A team of Southampton students has been working on creative solutions to solve this issue with local organisation, Southampton Voluntary Services (SVS) – a charity that provides a range of services such as specialist support, advice and training to the local voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE), the local authority and health sector.
SVS identified this issue as a key area to improve in Southampton. This led to the development of a Student Innovation Project – where University of Southampton students work on a month-long project, putting the skills from their degree into practice to help an organisation tackle a key business challenge.
“Being able to access engaged academic minds, who could look at a real-world problem with a unique perspective, was extremely useful,” says Joe Jenness, Senior Manager (Operations and Programmes) at SVS.
We at Southampton Voluntary Services were delighted to be able to give these young people the opportunity to test themselves in a real-world scenario, meet with industry partners and gain skills that set them on a strong footing when they access the jobs market.
Joe Jenness, Senior Manager (Operations and Programmes), Southampton Voluntary Services
Innovative policy solutions
An interdisciplinary team of five Southampton students worked on the project. First-year philosophy and politics student, Alexander, explains how they used social research techniques to collect data:
"We assessed the existing facilities in Portswood and Westquay in Southampton, considering the infrastructure and the views of both people in the community and business owners to get a full picture,” he says. “We presented our results to SVS, which was a great experience for developing presentation skills and confidence.”
The team came up with a range of innovative policy solutions to fund additional public toilets, as well as suggestions for improving education and signposting to help people find existing facilities. Their report and presentations were well received by SVS.
The project was a fantastic opportunity to develop my interest in policy research and has also helped me access further opportunities; I'm now in the process of becoming a transport analyst for a think-tank for transport policy, via the University's Careers service.
Alexander, first-year philosophy and politics student
“It has also helped expand my network and set a great foundation for working in the charitable sector. It has been great to meet so many people who are so passionate about what they do, which I have found very inspiring,” reflects Alexander.
