Detroit's Riverside Skatepark (Built to Play)
Every child should reap the benefits of a lifestyle that’s active, healthy and fun. In 2018, we partnered with the Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program and the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan to launch Project Play: Southeast Michigan and give every single child this opportunity through sports.
Project Play: Southeast Michigan (SEMI) was born out of State of Play, an extensive regional research initiative set in motion by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. From the State of Play report, we gained insight into our children, their activity levels—and how we can make a difference for them.
Project Play: SEMI is modeled after the national Project Play’s “Eight Plays.” These are eight strategies identified by the Aspen Institute to help children become—and stay—physically active through sports. As Project Play begins its initial programming, we will focus on three different plays- reintroducing free play, encouraging more sport sampling and training all coaches.
1. Ask Kids What They Want
2. Reintroduce Free Play
3. Encourage More Sport Sampling
4. Revitalize In-Town Leagues
5. Think Small
6. Design for Development
7. Train All Coaches
8. Emphasize Prevention
With the implementation of these eight strategies, we aim to give every child in our region the ability, confidence and desire to be physically active for life.
Every child should reap the benefits of a lifestyle that’s active, healthy and fun. In 2018, we partnered with the Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program and the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo to launch Project Play: Western New York and give every single child this opportunity through sports.
Project Play: Western New York (WNY) was born out of State of Play, an extensive regional research initiative set in motion by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. From the State of Play report, we gained insight into our children, their activity levels—and how we can make a difference for them.
Project Play: WNY is modeled after the national Project Play’s “Eight Plays.” These are eight strategies identified by the Aspen Institute to help children become—and stay—physically active through sports. Project Play: WNY initial programming has been focused on reintroducing free play, training all coaches and encouraging sport sampling.
1. Ask Kids What They Want
2. Reintroduce Free Play
3. Encourage More Sport Sampling
4. Revitalize In-Town Leagues
5. Think Small
6. Design for Development
7. Train All Coaches
8. Emphasize Prevention
With the implementation of these eight strategies, we aim to give every child in our region the ability, confidence and desire to be physically active for life.
Play is essential to a child’s healthy development. But due to a shortage of play spaces, many kids lack the opportunity to play. In 2018, the Foundation launched Built to Play, a $10 million initiative aimed at providing more opportunities for kid-driven free play across Southeast Michigan and Western New York. We partnered with the Tony Hawk Foundation and KaBOOM! to work with communities in our two regions on the development of new, innovative play spaces and skateparks.
The need for more safe, outdoor play options for youth in both rural and low-income neighborhoods throughout Western New York and Southeast Michigan was a key finding in the State of Play reports released in June 2017 by the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program. Built to Play was developed by the Foundation as a response to that need, so more children can make active play a part of their daily life.
Since its launch, the Built to Play initiative has invested in 12 new skateparks, 8 large-scale playground builds and more than 40 innovative play spaces in everyday places across our communities. And there is still more to come!
