Play For Life

Play for Life, a newly established not-for-profit organisation, is founded on the critical role of lifelong play. Play is central to our continued well-being, resilience and adaptation to change and our social cohesiveness as a community. From the time of birth, we are built for play and through play. The ability to play is critical not only to being happy but also to sustaining social relationships and being a creative and innovative person. Play for Life uses play to initiate important, innovative, and effective social change projects, with a focus on disadvantage and children and youth.

Our first project is an exciting and innovative project in Australian education. It is a simple, yet highly effective way of revolutionising the way primary school children spend 25% of their time at school, that is, on the playground.
It's called "the Pod".

Inaugural Australian Children's Play Summit

What is the Australian Children’s Play Summit?

In May 2012, Play for Life, in partnership with Play Australia, (the Australian representative body of the UN International Play Association (IPA)) will be hosting the inaugural Australian Children’s Play Summit. The first of its kind in Australia, the Play Summit will bring together primary school children over a two day period to discuss something not only very dear to their hearts but also a vital and key component to their human development – PLAY.

Why do we need a Play Summit?

Australia is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Convention sets out the rights of the child in 54 articles, spelling out the basic human rights that children everywhere have: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life.

Article 31 addresses the child’s right to play and Article 12 gives children the right to express their views freely in all matters affecting them.

By agreeing to undertake the obligations of the Convention (by ratifying or acceding to it), the Australian government has committed itself to protecting and ensuring children's rights and has agreed to hold itself accountable for this commitment before the international community. The 192 States parties who are signatories to the Convention are obliged to develop and undertake all actions and policies in the light of the best interests of the child.

In addition to this, some time in 2012 the UN is expected to hand down a General Comment on Article 31 – the right to play. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in New York is currently conducting a global review on the state of play via the IPA in preparation for it handing down a General Comment on Article 31. General Comments handed down by the UN are by and large very few and far between and are a significant indicator of what is required by all nation states in terms of compliance and adherence to the tenets of the Convention. Australia is a party to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and will be required to comply with the General Comment on Article 31 when it is handed down.

Interestingly and of note, is the fact that, unlike many other OECD and signatory countries, Australia does not yet have a Play Charter in support of Article 31.

This is the purpose of the inaugural Australia's Children's Play Summit being convened, in partnership with Play Australia - to create an opportunity for Australian children to contribute to the IPA Australian input into the UN General Comment ON Article 31. It will also profile and help raise awareness of the importance of play and the current barriers which children are experiencing in our Australian communities.

Who will attend the Play Summit?

The children from our POD schools and others are coming together for the two day Play Summit to work towards creating a "Play Manifesto" which they will be handing up to The Hon. Alex Chernov, QC, AC, Governor of Victoria and Play Australia at Government House on Day Two. Play Australia will in turn pass the Play Manifesto on to the UN Committee in New York, where it will form part of Australia's contribution to the UN General Comment on Article 31.

As part of our work with school communities, Play for Life is committed to providing opportunities to have a voice and input on matters that affect them in relation to play. To this end, Play for Life has invited students in our POD schools and others, as representatives of their broader community, to become delegates to the Play Summit and take part in developing the first stages of what will become a Play Charter for Australian children.

In November 2011, Year 5 and 6 students from some of our POD schools got together to scope out ideas for Australia’s inaugural Children’s Play Summit. Spearheaded by students at Eastbourne Primary School, this work laid a very important foundation for the Play Summit taking place on 17 and 18 May 2012 at the Melbourne Town Hall. A select number of student delegates will gather together to scope out a manifesto for Australia’s very first Play Charter by kids, for kids. The manifesto will be formally delivered to Play Australia in a Closing Ceremony at Government House, hosted by the Governor of Victoria, The Honourable Alex Chernov AC QC and his wife, Mrs Elizabeth Chernov, the Patron of Play for Life.

It is our vision that the Australian Children’s Play Summit will become an annual, national event, which will involve more students from more schools.

Key Information Date: Thursday 17 & Friday 18 May, 2012 Venue: Melbourne Town Hall

The Inaugural Australian Children's Play Summit is by invitation only.

The Closing Ceremony will be held at Government House on the afternoon of Friday 18 May. For more information about the Australian Children’s Play Summit, contact Jane Verberne at Play for Life on 9945-2261

Click here for further information

What is the Pod?

The Pod is a modified shipping container, or "pod", filled with high quality "loose parts" play materials. Clean, safe scrap, otherwise destined for landfill, is carefully selected and recycled for use in the Pod. This can include anything from old car tyres and steering wheels, to cardboard tubing, milk crates, used keyboards and telephones, fabric and dress-ups.
The Pod is delivered to school playgrounds, to stimulate self-directed play opportunities at lunchtime for kids. A Play for Life staff member works with the school community to train teachers and parents to ensure that the opportunities for rich, "open ended" and self directed play are optimised at school and at home.

What We Know

The benefits of play in the development of the child are well documented. Not only is play fun, it's how they learn and is one of the principle ways in which their brains develop. Play teaches kids the skills they need to read, share, create, and become happy, well-adjusted adults. However, as more and more kids' toys become embedded with chips, buttons, and controllers, the way kids play is changing.

As a result, play is changing dramatically from a world invented by children to a world prescribed by parents and other adults. Environments where children get to be the authors of their own play are declining.

Are our children getting the play they need to thrive in the 21st century? According to reports from sources such as Harvard University, Time magazine, Newsweek, and The Futurist, the answer is no.

As the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget once said, "Play is the answer to how anything new comes about." A playful mind thrives on ambiguity, complexity, and improvisation—the very things needed to innovate and come up with creative solutions to the massive global challenges in economics, the environment, education, and more.

Why is the Pod important today?

It is in the interest of businesses, educators, and consumers—both children and parents—to make sure that how kids are playing today, and the toys that they're using, provide them with the kind of open-ended experiences that stimulate creativity and foster critical thinking. This approach also needs to be fostered in their experience and attainment of education.

With Australia having one of the highest rates of non-completion of Year 12 in the OECD, school retention to Year 12 remains a high priority for governments around the nation.

Engaging children at school through play can be a highly effective strategy in addressing our national challenge of school retention. If children don't attend school, or feel disengaged with learning while they are at school, they fall behind. Wanting to take part is essential if children are to enjoy their learning and remain engaged. For children, play is enjoyable, and promotes their overall satisfaction of the school day and the learning environment. Play also helps them with social development and problem-solving skills and promotes creative thought and contributes to the development of vital skills like cooperation, personal responsibility and communication. Play involves doing, exploring, discovering, failing and succeeding – all important in the development of the child.

Australian governments are also recognising the vital role of play in the primary years of education. In January 2010, the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) introduced a curriculum for the early years of primary school that explicitly privileges learning through play-based experiences. There is now a policy climate in Victoria which requires primary schools to not only become accredited for "Learning through Play" but to also present learning through play activities as part of the curriculum.

The state of children’s play in Australia today

All children have a right to play. This is enshrined in Article 31 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of the Child. We believe that learning to play is not something adults need to teach. Provide a suitable environment, and children will naturally play. Yet our attitudes to play have changed over the generation. Children's access to self-directed, "traditional" play environments has dwindled due to:

parents' fear of traffic, and "stranger danger"
bullying
parents who are too busy to facilitate self directed play opportunities
loss of natural space due to urbanisation
changes in perceptions of what is best for children.

Many families now choose structured play at commercial facilities, and organised activities such as ballet and sports; and solitary, screen-based activities among children aged between six and 11 are on the increase, with more than 28 hours a week devoted to computers, mobile phones, television and other electronic devices.

As a result, the school playground is now, for many children, one of the few places where they can interact with their peers in an open, outdoor environment.

What results can we expect from the Pod?

Declining social and emotional literacy among our children can have serious consequences for our community as a whole.

Direct benefits of the Pod

An increase in bullying, teasing and discrimination leads to children skipping school or becoming disengaged in the classroom for fear of intimidation
the loss of creative play has been linked to a rise in childhood and adolescent depression
childhood obesity is rising partly due to less physical activity
a lack of "open ended" free play opportunities hinders brain development
Learning through play
Professional training for teachers can draw on the Pod concept
Reduction in bullying, increase in school attendance; evident in UK and US pilots
Improved critical skills
Equity – loose parts play enables all children to join in
Reduction in yard incidents and children's complaints: less boredom leads to less anti-social behaviour
Social inclusion: small or large mixed-age and mixed gender groups form around the Pod
Risk: the Pod encourages children to assess and manage risks for themselves.

Demonstrating that the Pod works

The Pod, whilst new to Australia, has already been tried and tested in other countries, including the UK and USA with outstanding results. Not only has it delivered phenomenal education and social outcomes for children utilising similar models there, it has also proven to be a commercially viable product/service delivered through an innovative social enterprise model.

We would like to introduce this idea to Australian primary school children, in the 6,000 primary schools across our nation. The Pod concept will be calibrated to their specific needs through a pilot program and we will maintain a special priority on reaching children from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Play for Life launched its first Pod in October 2010 in Beaumaris Primary School in Bayside Melbourne.

Play for Life is working with the following schools in demonstrating the Pod in 2011;

Aldercourt Primary School, Frankston North
Debney Meadows Primary School, Flemington
Doveton Primary School
Eastbourne Primary School, Rosebud East
Elwood Primary School
Footscray City Primary School
Noble Park Primary School

Expression of Interest for Schools

If you would like more information about the Pod or how your school can participate in the Demonstration Project, please download and complete the form below and return it to Play for Life at info@playforlife.org.au.

FORM

Our Supporters

The Pilot and Demonstration of the Pod has been made possible by the philanthropic support of the following organisations:

Business Working with Education Foundation
Caledonia Foundation
Doutta Galla Community Health Service
Gear Bulk
George Hicks Foundation
Goldman Sachs Foundation
Hunt and Hunt
Ian Potter Foundation
Jackson Clements Burrows Architects
Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation
Melbourne Angel Investor Network
Perfekt Pty Ltd
Price Foundation
RE Ross Trust
Rosie Kids Foundation
Social Ventures Australia
Streamer Communications
Youth Foundations Victoria

Our Key Partners

Big Picture Education Australia
Children’s Scrapstore (UK)
Doutta Galla Community Health Service
Flemington Neighbourhood Renewal
Imagination Playground (USA)
Jackson Clements Burrows Pty Ltd Architects
Kathy Walker and Associates
Reverse Art Truck

For more information about Play for Life and the Pod Demonstration Project in 2012, please contact Marylou Verberne, CEO at mverberne@playforlife.org.au.