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IPA Right to Play Award Program

The IPA Right to Play Award Program was launched as “Article 31 Recognition Program” at the world summit in Melbourne, Australia in 1993. It was created to recognize projects that implement in innovative ways, Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

This 6th triennial award program is dedicated to the celebration of IPA’s 50th Anniversary. Projects submitted have included activity programs, public awareness campaigns, media products, implemented national or local legislation, and design of play spaces and play items.

The following 8 submissions have met the criteria for this conference’s IPA Right to Play Award:

  • HAZELWOOD PARK PLAY SPACE

    WAX Design – Warwick Keates & Amanda Balmer in association with Ric McConaghy; Contact: Amanda Balmer (amanda@waxdesign.com.au)
    South Australia

    The entire design, development and construction of the project has involved a collaborative process with all members of the design team (including the client and the community) working together to deliver an all abilities adventure play space, set amongst the naturalistic woodland setting of Hazelwood Park.

    The design of the space provides a diversity of physical, explorative, interactive and imaginative play opportunities and draws upon the native surrounding parklands. The play space uses a variety of equipment, play elements, materials and art pieces that combine to create a unique experience for children of all ages, whilst offering comfort and engagement for parents and caregivers

 

  • SPICE (Scottish Play in Creative English)
    Contact: Andrew Swan (andrew@spicekids.com.br)|
    Sao Paulo, Brazil

    SPICE is a private “Play in English” project, based in São Paulo, Brazil.  The focus of SPICE is to offer play-based extra-curricular activities for children, primarily in the acquisition of English as a second language. Parents often choose activities that are academically focused and adult led, SPICE aims to challenge this as both a business and a model of good practice.  Using the play process we encourage and facilitate a range of free play and cultural activities for children aged 3 to 12. The Indoor and outdoor space is a sustainable design in consultation with children and play professionals.

 

  • THE TREEHOUSE PROJECT
    Islington Play Association; Contact:Wendy Jeeves (wendy@islingtonplay.org.uk)
    London, England

    Islington Play Association’s three year Treehouse project funded by the Big Lottery Playful Ideas Programme, is currently entering its’ final year.  This exciting project gives children the opportunity to use tools to build their own dens and tree houses or play structures. The project is driven by the children’s desires, be it building a tree house, making play weaponry or simply hammering or sawing for the fun of it, the important thing is everything is made by the children not adults.  The project challenges the fears parents and play workers face around activities connected with risk.

 

  • PROMOTION OF ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT JAPAN
    Contact: Noriko Kajiki (norikajiki@suma.kobe-wu.ac.jp)
    Japan

    The Japan Adventure Playground Association is established in 2003 as a registered nonprofit organization. Its mission is to create the playful communities, with which the association works for realizing the society where children and adults can live a lively life through guaranteeing rich play environments for children. The association holds thenetwork of 270 adventure play organisations over the nation supporting local networking,holding events, providing playwork training and so on. With the national conference of every three years and seasonal newsletters, the association advocates for the importance of outdoor play towards the national government and local authorities. Thus the association contributes to promoting the rich outdoor play environments for children.

 

  • MAKE SPACE FOR CHILDREN: LET’S CREATE A PLAYFUL WORLD
    Contact: Wilmar Vlaskamp  (Wilmar@OBB-Ingenieurs.nl)
    The Netherlands

    The poster is offered to people who influence the public space. Think of officials of green / roads / water / environmental planning, urban engineers, designers of outdoor space,politicians, developers, teachers and students. It is time that we promote the child’s right to play in public space. It is unreasonable that 20% of the population doesn’t have its own place in public space. With a few simple measures we can create a playful world by sharing of space. The poster is designed to provide and expand the playability of the entire public space.

 

  • FREE2PLAY
    Midlothian Association of Play (MAP); Contact: Susan McIntyre (susan@map-midlothian.org.uk)
    Midlothian, Scotland

    Midlothian Association of Play runs the Free2Play project in Midlothian, Scotland, which aims to ensure that children aged 5-13 have access to more and better ‘free play’ opportunities. The main project element is the professional support given to play providers to develop their practice, which is tailored to meet individual group’s needs – for example, developing ideas for making better use of limited space in support of children’s play, or observing practice and engaging in reflective discussion. Significant improvements to play opportunities have been achieved.

 

  • ADVOCATING FOR A CHILD’S RIGHT TO PLAY: FROM THE CLASSROOM INTO THE COMMUNITY
    Rowan University, Teacher Education; Contact: Dr. Karen Hutchison (Hutchison@rowan.edu)
    Glassboro, New Jersey, USA

    A multi-faceted service learning advocacy piece was conducted by upper division early childhood majors at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. Beginning with age appropriate toy donations during the holiday of 2010, students prepared toy tags connecting NJ educational standards and descriptions of “how to play” for parents. Then in the Spring 2011 semester, the same students designed and created play pamphlets focused around Article 31, which were distributed during student Power Point presentations to community forums about unstructured play and its benefits. The first community Play Day was held as a culminating event for parents/educators to play with their children.

 

  • WALES – A PLAY FRIENDLY PLACE
    Play Wales, Baltic House; Contact: Mike Greenaway (mike@playwales.org.uk)
    Cardiff, Wales

    Since 1999, those in Wales who have an interest in children’s play and a belief in children’s rights, have joined in a strategic political and practical project to make a Wales a play-friendly place to live.   This has included politicians, administrators, funders, campaigners and grassroots workers – we hope it will soon include many more of those whose actions impact on children’s right to play.  The project is ongoing and the results will not be seen for decades, but it is making positive progress – including establishing a play association in every region and the first national play policy in the world.

 

A primary goal of the IPA Right to Play Award Program is to present projects & activities that can serve as a model for replication in communities around the world. We urge you to engage in dialog with submission representatives. All program projects are on display in the exhibition area.

Enjoy!

Tom Jambor, Award Program Coordinator

 

 

Right to Play Award Past Recipients

Year – Recipient
2008 – Irene Hogg