An international conference that gathers passionate play professionals from all around the world – what’s not to love about that concept? The prospect of being part of this global network and world-wide conversation on play was one we couldn’t pass up, and being provided the opportunity to present two workshops at the conference made the experience even more rich and rewarding. To say the International Play Association World Conference for 2023 was inspirational would be a huge understatement!
This conference provided a chance to fuel the fire in our bellies and to enliven our deep passion to continue advocating for the child’s right to PLAY (and everyone’s right to play for that matter). It was a reminder that play is more than a right – it’s a biological imperative! Setting aside time and space to highlight the incredible work happening around the world, and also in our own backyard, drew focus to the crucial role of advocacy. The overarching call of the global movement and research shared at the conference was to ensure the child is central to decisions being made when it comes to play affordances in schools, communities, public spaces and programs and not left as an afterthought! Dr Adam Burley, a Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the Edinburgh Access Practice and one of the keynote presenters at the conference, reminded us that Pablo Picasso stated that, ‘it takes us a long time to grow young!’
A reflection shared by the researchers and academic professionals working to gather data on the importance of play in children’s lives is one aspect of the conference that has had a significant impact on me. The response provided by Dr. Mariana Brussoni, Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership and a founding member on the board of Outdoor Play Canada, in her panel session entitled ‘Controversial Topics in Outdoor Play’ to the question, ‘Why bother developing interventions to get children outside?’ was profound. Her response challenged the way different societies around the world are connecting the ever-growing body of research on the importance children’s play to the practical application of that research. This discussion has caused me to reflect on the ways research is being translated by ‘on the ground’ programs in our community.
Current research on the impact of play on mental health, physical development, risk aversion, resilience and the current state of childhood sits at the core of the work we do at Educated by Nature. We aim to develop our programs, professional training, and incursions around the current research. Often though, the people we work directly with (teachers, educators, parents and administrators) don’t necessarily have the time or access required to deep dive into these oceans of research. This conference has inspired us to continue to support educators and administrators within schools and early learning centres to see the importance of play by supporting the interpretation of the research into hands-on, practical experiences. It’s organisations, like ours, that need to be the translators of the research into a language that permeates the societies in which we work, live and play. To lather the experiences we provide in the essence of the research will support our communities in deepening the understanding of just how crucial play is for children. This is not a role we do alone, but rather humbly alongside others with feverous passion and pride.
We feel incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to attend this international conference and to be a part of the movement! These experiences provide us with the chance to connect (and re-connect) with the people who inspire the work we do, to network and build the relationships and bonds that strengthen the Play movement.
As featured in Play Australia’s Newsletter.